Everglades and Madagascar forests on Unesco danger list

[Jeffersons Ghost]

A UN panel has added Florida's Everglades National Park and Madagascar's tropical rainforest to a list of world heritage sites at risk.

Unesco's World Heritage Committee said development in the Everglades had caused water flow to fall 60% in the wetland, a major wildlife sanctuary. The pollution level there was so high it was killing marine life, it added.

Illegal logging and poaching following last year's military coup has meanwhile imperilled Madagascar's rainforests.

On Thursday, the committee voted to remove the Galapagos Islands from the at-risk list, saying Ecuador had made significant progress protecting its ecosystem.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-10825472

[Mika]

1. Hmmm. Anti Castro politics runs Florida. Comparison....

World Wildlife Federation: Cuba - Only Country With ‘Sustainable Development’
http://www.zeenews.com/news331619.html

Washington, Oct 26: A report published by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
claims that the only country in the world with "sustainable development" is Cuba.


The WWF includes in its report a graph, which shows two features -- the Human Development Index (established by the united nations) and the so-called "ecological footprint" which shows the per person energy and resources consumed in each country.

Surprisingly, only Cuba has passed in both areas, which is enough to be designated a country that "meets the minimum sensitivity criteria".

The study's authors credit the high level of literacy, long life expectancy and low consumption of energy for this success. The authors also claim that Latin America is the region that leads in sustainable development.

Just sayin'. :hi:

---

[HysteryDiagnosis]

2. Save Our Everglades site

More at link:

www.SaveOurEverglades.org





Posted on July 30, 2010
Sun Sentinel
By John Adornato III

07/30/10

Everglades National Park, the largest tract of wilderness east of the Rocky Mountains, is home to more subtropical land and water than anywhere else in the United States. The Everglades is a place where the panther can roam and the wading bird can nest, and it is in need of restoration.

After 20 years of planning and debate, the federal government is building a project to elevate one mile of the Tamiami Trail to help restore historic freshwater flows back to Everglades National Park. That is the first step towards fully restoring the Everglades, but much more must be done to bring fresh water back to South Florida.

Extending from Tampa to Miami, Tamiami Trail crosses the width of the Florida peninsula through the center of the Everglades, and has acted as an unnatural barrier for water flow over the last 80 years. This barrier has left areas north of the road inundated with water, tree islands flooded and wildlife stranded, while southern areas of Everglades National Park and Florida Bay are lying parched, thirsting for fresh water.

The recent release of the National Park Service's plan endorses 5.5 miles of additional bridging along Tamiami Trial and builds upon the one-mile bridge project. Moving this project forward is key to reversing the current ecological decline, and ensuring that we protect this nationally significant treasure for our children and grandchildren.

The draft plan comes at an opportune time as Congress has instructed the Department of Interior to examine other alternatives for more bridging as they work on the one-mile project that began in December 2009. In addition, Florida is in negotiations to acquire land in the Everglades Agriculture Areas from U.S. Sugar. Acquiring this land would help store and treat water and vastly improve water quality and the volume of water flowing south to Everglades National Park, benefiting estuaries in the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers. Both projects will reestablish the historic water flows back to Florida Bay.