STRATEGIES FOR PROTECTING FLORIDA EVERGLADES - THE BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICE APPROACH

The Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) is a small portion of the Everg lades region, consisting of an artificially drained area of approximat ely 280 000 ha of organic soils providing a rich environment for the c ultivation of primarily sugar cane, vegetables, rice, and sod. Hydrope riods and excessive nutrients in surface water inflows have been ident ified as potentially disruptive to the natural ecosystem, with phospho rus (P) deemed to be the limiting nutrient. Hence, agricultural draina ge water from the EAA, containing higher than background P loads and c oncentrations, has been targeted as a source of the problem. To reduce P loads and concentrations in the drainage water leaving farms in the EAA, on-farm best management practices (BMPs) can be used. These BMPs have been identified and tested at the large plot scale and are prese ntly being implemented and their efficacy verified at the farm level. It is currently estimated that P loading from the EAA can be reduced b y 20% to 60% using BMPs. A 45% reduction should be attainable while ke eping within acceptable cost/benefit ratios. The use of BMPs, however, will require higher levels of farm management and more sophisticated tools for decision-making.