Florida wetlands. By Bilanol via iStock for WMNF News.
Over the last few decades Florida has lost a considerable amount of wetlands. 1000 Friends of Florida held a webinar to address the consequences of wetland loss across the state.
Tens of thousands of wetland acres were lost in Florida. Because of this, landscapes have been transformed, water systems have been altered and wildlife and their ecosystems are continually threatened.
Julianne Thomas, the senior environmental planner for the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, said wetlands are a crucial part of Florida’s environment.
“Wetlands are foundational to human health, water quality, drinking water, resources, floodwater protection, fish and wildlife habitats, and resilience against the effects of climate change,” said Thomas. “Wetlands are also known as the kidneys that can absorb nutrients and pollution and prevent them from reaching downstream waters.”
Christina Reichert, a public interest environmental attorney, says the Trump administration has proposed a rule that would significantly narrow the scope of wetland protections.
“Now they would like for the Clean Water Act to only cover wetlands that hold surface water for the duration of a wet season and that connect to a water body that is flowing continuously through the wet season,” said Reichert. “In practice, what this means is that more than 80% of wetlands would lose their protections under the Clean Water Act, and that’s according to the government’s own analysis.”
For more information on Florida’s wetlands and the effort to conserve them, visit 1000fof.org.