Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades The Second Biennial Review - 2008 (2008) / Chapter Skim
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7 Synthesis of CERP Progress
7 Synthesis of CERP Progress
Pages 223-230
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From page 223... ...
the CERP is entangled in procedural matters involving federal approval of projects and lacks consistent infusions of financial support from the federal government; and (3) without rapid implementation of the projects with the greatest potential for Everglades restoration, the opportunity for meaningful restoration may be permanently lost.
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From page 224... ...
, phosphorus concentrations in the waters of the South Florida ecosystem remain at unhealthy levels for its native plant com munities. High phosphorus concentrations in Lake Okeechobee also limit the volume of water that can be moved south into the Everglades ecosystem, and phosphorus-laden sediments are likely to be a continuing source of contamina tion for several decades.
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From page 225... ...
The density of settlement in the region results in increased water demands that make CERP more difficult to accomplish. The CERP was launched in 2000 in an effort to get the water right in the South Florida ecosystem and for Everglades National Park, but this project is founded upon numerous restoration projects that, although they are not formally part of the CERP, are nonetheless central to the success of the CERP in achieving its restoration goals.
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From page 226... ...
SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE AND CERP PROGRESS Scientific knowledge is a critical foundation for decisions about the plan ning, design, and adaptive management of the CERP. Over the past two decades, knowledge about the Everglades ecosystem has expanded enormously, and CERP planners, engineers, and scientists now have significant data to guide the restoration.
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From page 227... ...
, one of the major political advantages enjoyed by the CERP as it was developed was the strong and united support of South Florida stakeholders. These groups -- including nongovernmental organizations, Native American tribes, and state and federal agencies -- have not always agreed with one another, but they were able to reach accord on major issues concerning the direction of the CERP.
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From page 228... ...
Instead, they are minimally contentious projects with the strongest stakeholder support. As a result, in the years ahead, CERP planners may be forced to choose between using limited available federal funds on authorized projects and conserving federal funds for higher-priority projects that may not be authorized for years to come.
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From page 229... ...
Strong restoration leadership can also identify impediments to effective restoration, such as unclear priorities and episodic funding, and develop programmatic solutions to improve restoration progress. Without such leadership, the CERP will face substantial additional delays, risking the loss of public confidence and support and leaving a treasured ecosystem to continue its perilous decline.
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From page 230... ...
If the CERP continues on its present course at its current pace, the ecosystem will continue to lose its resiliency, which could lead to rapid and deleterious changes that might be very difficult or impossible to reverse, and more importantly, the restoration effort will lose the support of the public at large. Clear funding priorities, modi fications to the project planning, authorization, and funding process to support system-wide restoration goals, and strong leadership are needed to move the restoration forward and begin to reverse the decades of decline.
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