Concurrent Sessions 2: WILDLIFE AND NATURAL RESOURCES: Florida's Iconic Critters
By MARI CENTENO, University of Miami
Florida is home to some of the most intriguing animals in America. Some of these special critters were the topic of discussion during a wildlife and natural resources panel discussion held Friday, October 21, during the Society of Environmental Journalist conference in Miami.
These unique creatures are facing dangerous threats of habitat destruction and, ultimately, extinction. Many organizations, communities and scientists are constantly fighting to promote the protection of these habitats and their residents.
One of these creatures is the goliath grouper, a large gentle, charismatic fish that resides in the southeastern parts of the United States. The goliath grouper is critically endangered, mainly from being overfished and the destruction of its habitat.
These fish are very important to the mangroves in Florida, marine biologist Sarah Frias-Torres said.
"Goliath groupers generate an ecosystem of their own and there's a whole food chain depending on them," said Frias-Torres, who works with the Ocean Research and Conservation Association and specifically with the goliath grouper.
Frank Mazzotti, associate professor at the University of Florida, discussed the dangers alligators and crocodiles are facing. Alligators are a federally listed species and represent the importance of freshwater flow into the Everglades, he said. These alligators help maintain the ecosystem by creating alligator holes, which allow other species to co-exist in the Everglades.
However, these alligators are not doing well. According to Mazzotti, alligators in the Everglades grow slower, lay fewer eggs and are also skinnier. On the other hand, crocodiles are an endangered species success story and they have been reclassified from being endangered down to "threatened" status.
"Alligators and crocodiles are very popular with the public; 75 percent of the people want more crocodiles in Florida," said Mazzotti.
Frias-Torres added that a number of studies have concluded that the goliath grouper population increase has been very low in recent years. "Their habitats will never be like they use to be in the '90s, but there are also factors like major fish kills and cold water events that kill 90 percent of the juvenile populations in the mangrove habitats of the goliath grouper," she said.
Perhaps one of the most popular and protected species in Florida is the manatee. A risk-and-threat analysis shows that these manatees may be doing better but still remain in danger of extinction. Watercrafts and cold temperatures are some major factors affecting the manatees.
Pat Rose, executive director of Save the Manatees, said the Crystal River case is an example of the problem the animals face. In the Crystal River, there is a proposal for the water sports zone to be taken away and be replaced with a slow-speed zone all year ’round to protect not only the manatees but the divers looking at the manatees.
"The local public is divided on the issues of manatees. Some say they’re a pest and others are fighting to protect them," said Rose. Improvement for the protection of manatees includes developing more sanctuaries where divers cannot go.
During the question-and-answer period, the panelists were asked whether boaters, fishermen and the power of myths, lies and assumptions had a direct impact on the survival of these species. "If we repeat a lie many times, it becomes true in the collective consciousness," said Frias-Torres. In order to continue the protection of these threatened and endangered species, people have to be shown the truth about what's happening, she added.
SEJ's 21st annual conference, October 19-23, 2011, was hosted by the University of Miami. Below you will find multimedia coverage provided by SEJ, volunteers and conference attendees. NOTE: This page is a work in progress, and will remain so for several days. For other coverage, see also:
- SEJ 2011 Unofficial Conference Blog with posts by conference attendees. RSS feed.
- Cubrimiento en Español.
- Public SEJ Miami 2011 Flickr conference photo group, where you can upload/share your own conference photos (thanks to SEJ member Christine Woodside!).
- Find attendee posts on twitter: search #sejmiami
The Miami Planet is an online newspaper from University of Miami's Knight Center for International Media and its School of Communication in collaboration with Florida International University and Miami Dade College. The Planet is being devoted to reporting the highlights of the SEJ Miami conference and publishing scores of stories on South Florida and its environment. RSS feed.For more stories:
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