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Parc national des Everglades

NHK World Heritage 100 Series (en anglais)

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Texte narratif (en anglais)

Save the Great Marsh / Everglades National Park

The Everglades National Park is situated on the southern tip of the Florida Peninsula in the United States. Vast marshland covers nearly twice the area of the Bahamas.

The Everglades lie in both tropical and sub-tropical climate zones and support an incredibly diverse range of animal, bird and plant life. Birds feed on an abundant variety of fish. Wild crocodiles and alligators are also found here. The Florida Panther tops the food chain preying on crocodiles and alligators. Sadly, this eco-system is under serious threat due to the growth of the city of and extensive agricultural development. This great marsh used to cover a much larger area, but during the 1950s channels were dug to drain the water out. About half the marsh was converted to farm and residential land. The local population continued to grow, taking away much of the water needed for the marsh. Larger areas of farmland also required increased water supplies – groundwater was used. As a result the marshland kept shrinking and wildlife numbers decreased significantly. At one time there were 200,000 White Ibis but numbers have plummeted to a tenth of that. The American Woodstock once numbered over 8,000 but has declined to a quarter of that figure. And there used to be more than 1,000 Florida Panthers – there are now only around 100. The marshland water was also polluted…

… mercury was detected in the carcass of a Florida Panther. It proved that water pollution had contaminated fish, which were then consumed by crocodiles and alligators, and finally stored in the Florida Panther’s body.

The Everglades National Park was inscribed on the World Heritage in Danger list in 1993.

A large-scale nature restoration project was launched in the year 2000. Its aim is to return farmland back to the marsh. Some water channels have been reclaimed to restore the natural water flow.

This wildlife paradise was once described as “A Harmony of Lives”. Since it was inscribed to the World Heritage in Danger list, great efforts have been made to restore this rich eco-system back to its former glory.