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Global warming, if unchecked, will bring devastating changes to ecosystems and wildlife even within protected lands like national parks. For example:
- An increase of 3 degrees centigrade in global average temperature, likely within the next century, could eliminate 7 to 11 percent of North America's vascular plant species (Cincotta and Engelman 2000).
- Unique coastal plants and fauna not adapted to salt water could be inundated and obliterated by rising sea levels.
- Certain reptiles, including alligators, crocodiles, and turtles, are likely to decline because the gender of the developing embryos is determined by nest temperature.
- Eggs affected by global warming might all become the same sex, precluding reproduction in future generations.
- Bird populations are likely to dwindle in many states as increased warmth destroys vital ecosystems faster than the ecosystems can shift north to cooler climes.
- Warming of streams could harm aquatic plants and animals that have narrow temperature tolerances.
- Forests and grasslands may be damaged by changes in soil temperature and chemistry, affecting survival and reproduction in plant species.
- Grasses, trees, and other plants may die off as ambient temperatures increase.
Developing a system of protected lands connected by corridors can help to mitigate the crisis of global warming. A preserve network will allow some species to follow corridors as pathways to new habitat as ecosystems wax and wane.
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 CASE STUDY:
RESTORING THE RIVER OF GRASS
The Greater Everglades Ecosystem is an irreplaceable biological treasure that encompasses three major national parks in South Florida—Everglades and Biscayne national parks and Big Cypress National Preserve. The ecosystem harbors more than 60 endangered and threatened species ranging from the first marine plant ever listed, Johnson's seagrass, to the Florida panther, West Indian manatee, and Cape Sable seaside sparrow.
Despite the Everglades' recognition as a World Heritage Site, a Biosphere Reserve, a Wetland of International Significance, and an Outstanding Florida Water, the Everglades ecosystem has virtually collapsed from dramatic hydrologic alteration and serious decline in water quality. Since the establishment of Everglades National Park in 1934, the ecosystem has fallen to half its former size and has lost 90 percent of its wading bird populations. At the same time, the park's natural water flow has been dammed, diked, and diverted, choking the life out of the ecosystem.
A massive effort involving national, state, and local agencies and conservation groups, including the National Parks Conservation Association, is under way to restore the Everglades. This intergovernmental program, authorized by Congress in December 2000, features a Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan estimated to cost at least $8 billion over the next 30 years. It is the world's most ambitious and challenging attempt to restore an ecosystem and will serve as a model for restorations around the world.
Recommendations
- Park staff should represent national park interests in key aspects of the Everglades Restoration Plan, making sure that critical projects are planned and implemented to give the Everglades first priority for the vital timing, flow, and delivery of water.
- Park administrators should implement plans to control destructive off-road recreational vehicles in Big Cypress National Preserve.
- Conservationists should fight proposed development projects that interfere with Everglades restoration, including housing projects in wetlands outside Biscayne and flood-control programs that inundate sensitive parklands at inappropriate times of year.
- Park staff should try to reverse damage to sensitive marine ecosystems in Biscayne and Florida bays, which have been harmed by Everglades deterioration.
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