Save our Swamps
The Florida Everglades are under intense threat
For ten months every year, the Florida Everglades used to be a thriving river of grass. Now, they're dying. Humans have used the marshlands for decades to provide fresh drinking water for Florida's 6 million coastal inhabitants and irrigation for the numerous sugarcane plantations, and that has had its toll on the ecosystem.
Indigenous Miccosukee Indians who have been pushed from their homes have found refuge in the cool of the Everglades. They are suing the sugar plants for serious mercury contamination and pollution that has also eroded the once-lush land. Now, the number of birds has declined by 90%, and alligators by at least 70%. With the population of the Florida coast still growing at a phenomenal rate, scientists wonder if it is too late to save this unique ecological system.
Produced by ABC Australia
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