It's not just pythons. The Everglades is under assault by armies of exotic invaders. - The Hill

It's not just pythons. The Everglades is under assault by armies of exotic invaders. - The Hill

It's not just pythons. The Everglades is under assault by armies of exotic invaders. - The Hill

Posted: 01 Jan 2020 05:00 AM PST

Burmese pythons and their battles with alligators get the headlines, but those large reptiles that came from Southeast Asia as part of the exotic pet trade aren't the only invasive species wreaking havoc on the Florida Everglades.

The National Park Service reports that the Everglades are suffering from a barrage of pressure brought on by numerous nonnative species, including exotic fish that gobble up native fish species and melaleuca trees that crowd out indigenous plants.

Now the pressure on the fragile ecosystem in south Florida could get even worse. Just recently, the Trump administration said it was disbanding the Interior Department's Invasive Species Advisory Committee, which had coordinated the federal government's efforts at controlling pythons and other invasive species plaguing the nation.

The committee has been in existence for more than a decade, and with its demise come questions about what the effect is going to be on the efforts to keep these invasive species at least somewhat in check, which is already a monumental task.

That has fans and defenders of the Everglades, myself included, concerned.

Since the 1980s, I have tried to bring national awareness to the Everglades through photography, recording images of some of the more remote areas that most tourists never see. Over that time, my camera and I have been witness to some of the changes invasive species have wrought.

One of my earliest photographs, taken in 1986 along the Tamiami Trail, provides just one example of the delicate balance in the Everglades. In the photo I captured a thick cloud formation outlined against a dark sky, and that's likely where many people's attention is focused when they look at the photograph. In the foreground, though, is a grassy plain. Most of the grass in that picture was sawgrass, which later was overcome by invasive exotic plants.

Many people going about their daily lives, even in south Florida, are unaware of what would be lost if more isn't done to protect this unique natural wonder from invasive species and other environmental hazards.

Everglades National Park is more than just another park. It's the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States and the largest wilderness area east of the Mississippi River, according to the National Park Service. If you were to go exploring there, our friends at the park service say, you would find shallow-water marine habitats, saltwater wetland forests and marshes, freshwater marshes and prairies, and upland complexes of pine and hardwood forests.

And, yes, you would also find plenty of animals and plants that shouldn't be there, such as the lionfish, a venomous predator that hails from Indo-Pacific waters, and the Brazilian pepper, which produces chemicals that appear to suppress the growth of other plants.

With my photography I have tried to educate people that the environment is really important, and they need to actually experience it themselves. Sure, it's nice to look at photographs in a gallery where you have air conditioning and there are no bugs, but there's nothing like experiencing the real thing.

Let me share just a few reasons that invasive species have become such a concern in the Everglades:

  • Lack of natural predators. Because nonnative species typically lack natural predators, they can outcompete native species, the National Park Service reports. They can multiply unchecked, using up valuable resources such as sunlight, water and nutrients. Native species suffer from this intense competition.
  • Severe decline of the mammal population. Those Burmese pythons aren't just wrestling with alligators. They also make meals out of mammals that call the Everglades home, which is one reason the state sponsors hunting contests among other efforts to get rid of them. Since the late 1990s, the Everglades have seen a steep decline in populations of raccoons, opossums and bobcats, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. Marsh rabbits, cottontail rabbits, and foxes effectively disappeared, and there's not much of a mystery about the culprit. There have been numerous instances where these animals were found in the stomachs of pythons.
  • Economic impact. Infestations of invasive plants and animals can negatively affect property values, agricultural productivity, public utility operations, native fisheries, tourism and outdoor recreation, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In a state like Florida, where agriculture and tourism are major industries, that's significant.

Unfortunately, as the National Park Service will attest, it's likely that these alien invaders are here to stay. Their numbers are just too great and they've settled in quite nicely, like it or not. But the parks folks are not completely pessimistic. They say that even if these native species can't be eliminated, they may at least be controlled by putting a stop to the release of non-native plants and animals into the wild, and by aggressively managing species that are encroaching on natural areas.

So, when the federal government decides to eliminate a committee that's very mission is to try to control invasive species in the Everglades and elsewhere, it should be understandable that there's some angst among those who care deeply about this south Florida treasure.

Walking through the Everglades can be a spiritual experience, and it's one I would love to see as many people as possible be able to share.

For me, the inspiration has been overwhelming to try to record this for people and for posterity, because it's so unique in the world. There's no other place like it.

 

Clyde Butcher (www.clydebutcher.com) is an acclaimed nature photographer who is best known for his striking black-and-white images of the Everglades in Florida. But he has photographed the beauty of nature in other locations as well. For more than 50 years, he has been preserving on film the untouched areas of the landscape.

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