Michael Thomas Harbuck										
ENC 1101.296
Doctor Hawkins
November 11, 2007

Urban Sprawl and the Ecosystem of Florida

	The urbanization and urban sprawl in the State of Florida may eventually 

engulf  the majority of sensitive natural ecological habitats.  Many predictions 

and models regarding the future and possible effects of man’s intrusion into an ever- 

increasing larger portion of the outwardly appearing undisturbed areas surrounding 

the already populated and inhabited cities have been speculated and created.  Since the 

realization that man has a net negative effect on his immediate environment through 

roads and the reduction of large tracts of open land into non ecologically balancing 

edifices, studies have been performed, articles have been written, and documentaries 

have been filmed.  Yet, these media may have had no real affect until there is a 

collapse of the ecological systems in which these indices of sprawl are enumerated, and cause an

unmistakable change in thought.  

	It is only in the late months that there has been a media frenzy drawn upon from

the information which has been available and viable for more than two decades.  Scientists and 

educated persons from all walks of life have been observing, collecting evidence, and collating 

this evidence.  Having been shunned and not taken seriously for so long it appears as though a

realization of sorts has begun to emerge from the consumption madness.  The question which 

arises from this apparent realization is this: Why now?  Each time there is a nearing vote in the 

United States of America, many persons will bring forth the ideas and concerns of those who are 

in the professions of environmental protection.  Most of these concerns are not publically long 

lived after the votes have been counted, however.  

	" In 1971 a local resident wrote a book in which he asserted that the steephead ravines are 

the original Garden of Eden..." (Mohlenbrock).   These ravines are archetypical Florida habitat 

near Apalachicola.  The amount of research material and official studies penned by many 

various official and non official entities throughout Florida, and of all of the states of the Union 

is overwhelming and often outdated and not current.   The areas which have already affected 

human consumption and impeded the growth are what are noticed and addressed first, not by 

choice, but because of complaints.  

	The Water Issue:  "Thousands of acres of lakes and wetlands are drying up as the 

demand for water increases for Florida's growing population." (Leisner, Word).  The range of 

the water shortage problem is vast, and not confined to a single region.  Information on the 

geological makeup of Florida reveals the karst or limestone filter layer which is Florida.  This 

layer of porous rock is a huge natural water treatment plant which provides water to all of the 

residents through springs and wells.  

	To begin to describe the importance of water is akin to asking what if the sun stopped 

shining tomorrow.  So unequivocally important is water to the agriculture and prosperity of 

tourism in Florida today.  As is known. there is a biological hierarchy in the system of like as is 

known.  There must be water as the solvent of life for any life to form of thrive.  It is the all 

encompassing media in which all biological processes occur.  "It (water) produces bountiful 

harvests of oranges, grapefruit, berries and a medley of winter vegetables."  (Leisner & Word)  

Nowhere within the research is found how water is wasted, or used inappropriately, without 

disregard for the consequences.  There is no mention of the vast number of lawns, the 

numerous golf courses, or the wasteful toilettes.  
	
Lakes are drying up.  There are persons who spent quite a bit of money for lake front 

Property, which is now more like a desert.  Perhaps stopping waste of water will bring in an era 

of new water engineering development, and a change in water use habits.  As for the reason for

the exploded water use, only the more numerous population, which increased the land use per 

capita accordingly degrading the status of the water use problem complex.  

	The Habitat Issue:  "Urban sprawl continues to destroy Florida's natural habitats and 

farmland at an accelerated pace "  Sprawl in Florida.  The amount of energy and money which 

is required to demolish the homes of natural animals compared with the amount required to 

rehabilitate these once they have been gleaned of all use by those who wish to use the land 

without due respect is not logical.  Creative manipulation could hide the non apparent change 

and loss until a point is reached when a want will not be appeased in the blink of an eye, being 

then the cause of a massive and costly inquiry.  

	The information available on the subject is extremely vast.  The loss of habitat may 

continue as long as crime and other factors drive families from the cities’ central areas into 

quieter suburbs where the proverbial American dream can be realized, causing in turn more 

sprawl.  "Because each American demands so much more energy and food and so many more 

raw materials than the average global citizen, the collective  impact of grazing, plowing, timber 

harvesting, draining and bulldozing is enormous "  (Peters & Noss)  Roads divide habitats and 

render them inactive and inaccessible.  

"Native Fauna in the state (FL) are suffering beneath the heels, wheels, asphalt and 

outboard motors of the dominant mammal -  homo sapiens" Sprawl in Florida.  Larger animals 

may suffer more population damage and may be more affected than smaller animals owing to 

their large range and travel capabilities.  As sprawl and growth take in the range of these 

animals, encroachment and extinction are the only two routes which man has actually paved. 

	Recently the Everglades have come into view of the eye of the authorative figures 

and become a topic of debate.  The wetlands habitat of South Florida is changing rapidly where 

humans have taken land for plantation crops, especially sugar cane.  According to an article 

entitled  "America's Endangered Ecosystems" in Defenders,  "More than half of 

Florida's wetlands have been lost to drainage and development including more than 65 percent

of the 3,900 square mile Kissimmee-Okeechobee-Everglades system."  Waterfowl and plant 

habitat has been choked out by human-induced growth of formerly minority species caused by

over fertilization.  The Everglades is water to South Florida, and therefore, deserves the same 

factor of importance.  The wildlife and plant life are an added resource included with the region.

	The Animal Issue:  "Urban Sprawl is Threatening Some of the Nation's Most 

Endangered Wildlife" (Nickens).  The list of "68 species" which are threatened or endangered in 

Florida is long.  Nature and evolution have adapted many animals to small confined areas where 

they are in symbiosis with the other organism around them.  If man removes a key variable of 

the life cycle of an animal, then it is likely that the animals will fail to survive.  Humans 

recognize of an animal to exist and perpetuate themselves, but usually at the leisure of man.   

All humans may have to sacrifice wants for the good of the animal kingdom. 

The Key deer, the wood stork, the bald eagle, sea turtles, all of these species are 

facing the challenge of competing for space with humans.  Other than reducing living space for 

animals, they are also indiscriminately killed.  "Road-kills are a major source of mortality for a 

wide variety of herpetofauna,..."(Shwifff, et al.).  
 
	It will be left to see whether there will be a renaissance of conservation study in the 

coming years, as studies require time to publish.  Many of the available articles on the subjects 

of urban sprawl and growth were published more than ten years ago, and I believe that if there 

were more up-to-date data, that the problem may be even worse than had been prognosticated.  

When one looks around and notes observations from year to year, it is apparent at 

certain times, that cycles and patterns have changed in Florida.  It would be advantageous to 

speak with older native Floridians, to ask what is different, and to obtain the observational 

comparisons of this group of persons.  The tangible facts are that ponds and lakes are drying up, 

more land is used each year, and more animals are displaced or killed with newcomers.  

The scientists all predict the trend toward continual land use will increase all of the 

associated complex problems.  "As the state's complex natural systems crumble under the 

weight of an ever-increasing population many Floridians have come to realize that the tropical 

paradise they sought is slipping away." (McManus, Brown)

Works Cited 
Kolankiewicz, Leon, and Roy Beck. "Sprawl in Florida." Sprawl City. 29 Oct. 2000. Floridians for a Sustainable Population. 22 Oct. 2007 <http://www.sprawlcity.org/studyFL/index.html>.  
Leisner, Pat, and Ron Word. "Polluting Paradise: Florida's Looking High and Dry." News 23 Aug. 1994: 2a.  
McManus, R., and M. Braun. "Florida." Sierra Mar. 1992: 68.  
Mohlenbrock, Robert H. "Gardens of Eden." Natural History Nov. 1997: 73.  
Nickens, T. Edward. "Paved Over and Pushed Out." Natioal Wildlife 01 Sept. 2001: 36-45.  
Peters, Robert L., and Reed F. Noss. "America's Endangered Ecosystems." Defenders of Wildlife (1995):  16-27.  
Shwiff, Stephanie A., Henry T. Smith,  and Et Al . "Bioeconomic Anaylsis of Herpetofauna Road-Kills in a Florida State Park." Ecological Economics 64 (2007):  181-185.