What are Invasive Species and Why are they Bad News for South Florida?

 

I’m sure many of you have heard the term “invasive” or “non-native” somewhere in the media. Maybe you have even wondered what those terms mean. Let’s start with the easy one, non-native. A species that is non-native, is just that… Not native to the area! Species that arrive in a habitat due to human interference are considered to be non-native. This non-native species can thrive, die or just exist in the new habitat without becoming invasive. So now you wonder, at what point is a species considered invasive? Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission believes that when a non-native species becomes a threat to any native species or to human health, it is then considered invasive. For example, the invasive Burmese Python was introduced through the exotic pet trade due to human negligence. These large snakes were released or escaped in South Florida, and began to thrive in our subtropical climate. These snakes have been known to eat family pets, such as dogs and cats, and also devour native mammals, some of which are endangered. This is just one profound example of a non-native species turned invasive.

Now that we have established what an invasive species is, we need to discuss what they have to do with South Florida. The wildlife found in South Florida is some that can be found nowhere else in the world. South Florida also boasts home to the Everglades National Park , created in 1947. During its creation, Everglades National Park was described as an American cultural gem, a diverse and exotic biological treasure trove (Wilhelm). The Everglades is so biologically diverse because of an abundance of rain and sunlight, creating a subtropical climate that has drawn a massive mixture of flora and fauna.

So what is wrong with a few new species joining in on the fun in the sun? Some may think that it is the Everglades’ incredible diversity that makes it so sensitive to change. Michael Grunwald, an acclaimed novelist and writer for The Washington Post, skillfully points out in his novel The Swamp: The Everglades, Florida, and the Politics of Paradise “Nature is often called fragile, which is usually wrong; nature is the essence of resilience. But the Everglades was about as fragile as nature gets” (18). I believe that there is an immense amount of accuracy in his statement. To have an abundance of diverse species coexisting harmoniously, as they do in the Everglades, there is a unique balance that must exist. To bring in alien species from opposite corners of the Earth, is to throw everything out of balance.

Invasive species pose a huge threat to South Florida’s residents. By residents, I’m referring to all the flora and fauna that have called Florida home long before any of us. The Everglades was untouched. The native Indians who called the Everglades home, left almost no impress on the area, the waters and marshes were still untouched and there were no alien invaders. “The Everglades was still the Everglades before white men arrived” (Grunwald, 21). This statement may be considered controversial to some people, but the truth of the matter is, the arrival of modern man and globalization brought upon changes such as pollutants, diversion of water flow, and the introduction of foreign species. Our native species are left straining, fighting for resources, against alien invaders that modern man introduced.

One of the biggest threats invasive species pose to natives is habitat loss. Invasive species that begin to thrive in their new environment can alter an environment enough to favor that species, displacing the native species. Whether it is an invasive plant species altering the landscape, or an invasive large reptile devouring endangered mammals, the negative impact on the ecosystem can be profound.

 

 

Works Cited

“Florida’s Exotic Fish and Wildlife.” Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. 2016.      myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/nonnatives. 19 Feb. 2017

Grunwald, Michael. The Swamp: The Everglades, Florida and the Politics of Paradise. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006. Print.

Carlos, JonBob. “Florida Environmental.” Digital image. JonBob Carlos. <http://www.johnbobcarlos.com/portfolio/G0000SwUsD8O30hw/I0000PYBuEN6gUWw&gt;. 19 Feb. 2017.

WILHELM, CHRIS. “Conservatives In The Everglades: Sun Belt Environmentalism And The Creation Of Everglades National    Park.” Journal Of Southern History 82.4 (2016): 823-854. Academic Search Premier. ezproxy.lib.usf.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.usf.edu/log  in.aspx?direct=true&db=a2h&AN=119167708&site=eds-live. 17 Feb. 2017.