South Florida is in trouble. The once lush, subtropical wetlands and coastal reefs are dying, while the vibrant tourist meccas are marred with "brownfields" and urban sprawl. The entire ecosystem is in jeopardy.

But there is good news. Massive efforts to cleanse and restore the natural flow of water through the region — the key to the health of the entire system — are underway. Similarly, innovative measures for improving the quality of life in urban centers and reining in urban sprawl are being explored and implemented. Increasingly, a shared understanding and a common goal are taking root among politicians, government officials, tribes, farmers, ranchers, business leaders, and private citizens. We must make South Florida sustainable. We must do it now. And we must do it together.

EXPANDING THE CONCEPT OF ECOSYSTEM

The ecosystem is the key to the future of South Florida. Once the term raised visions of only the natural environment, including all the plants and animals and their intricate relationships with their physical surroundings. But the South Florida ecosystem is also home to humans and their built environment. Today, we have come to realize that all aspects of life, including humans and their built world, are inextricably linked.

Clean air and water, healthy habitats, and viable species populations are critical to the overall health of the ecosystem. But so are sound economies, affordable housing, and job opportunities. Both the natural and the built environments are two sides of the same coin. Attempting to deal with the problems of one, and not the other, will never be successful. Actions and strategies must be directed at the totality of the relationships that exist between the built environment, the natural world, and all the collective inhabitants.

This expanded view of the South Florida ecosystem is daunting and complex. It forces planners, scientists, and the public to view the built environment and the resources needed to support it as part of a larger system. Rather than dealing with issues independently, the challenge is to seek out the interrelationships and mutual dependencies that exist between these critical components of the ecosystem.

Dealing with the problems of both the built environment and the natural system is new and challenging. The problems and solutions touch every aspect of life in the region. Unless a holistic, integrated, and adaptive approach is taken, and taken at all levels, the root problems will not be addressed.

WHY SHOULD WE CARE?

The quality of life in South Florida depends directly on the health and vitality of the natural system. Fishermen and divers cannot continue to do business if the coral reefs, estuaries, and shallow waters of Florida Bay cannot support viable populations of aquatic species and healthy habitats.

Sugarcane producers, winter vegetable farmers, and ranchers will find it harder to produce safe and reliable food crops if more fertile soil continues to be lost to subsidence and farmland continues to be converted into housing, condominium complexes, and urban landfills.

Likewise tourism, international trade, transportation, and the service sector will suffer if South Florida ceases to possess the natural aesthetics and beauty that make the region such a popular destination for visitors around the world. Reduced economics, in turn, will impact urban infrastructure and public safety — as well as the region's ability to support tourism, trade, and other vital industries.

Every resident and visitor in the region has a stake in the final outcome. The challenge is to find ways to reconcile human demands with the needs of the natural environment.

— Al Gore, Vice President

December 1997