Everglades National Park

Everglades National Park, located in southern Florida, is the only subtropical preserve in North America and is the largest tropical wilderness in the United States. It is one of only three places in the world declared an International Biosphere Reserve, a World Heritage Site, and a Wetland of International Importance. Everglades features both tropical and temperate ecosystems including sawgrass prairies, mangrove and cypress swamps, pinelands and hardwood hammocks. Everglades is home to a dizzying array of organisms, and several endangered species such as the Snail Kite, Florida Panther, and Manatee. The park is also one of the only places in the world where alligators and crocodiles live side-by-side. Everglades is one of the most imperiled ecosystems in the world – due to the burgeoning population of south Florida, climate change, and even droughts, fires, and non-native species such as the Burmese Python. Recently, massive efforts have been undertaken to help preserve and restore the Everglades.