Ecosystem Management Principles


 Much attention is
 currently fo-
 cused on the
 South Florida ecosystem by
 policy makers, scientists,
 and natural resource man-
 agers at all levels. Activi-
 ties include a White House
 ecosystem management
 initiative, a federal inter-
 agency task force, a
 Governor's commission,
 and many agency pro-
 grams at federal, state, and
 local levels.


Ecosystem management is
emerging as an innovative
framework for achieving
harmonious and mutually
dependent sustainability of
society and the environ-
ment. Ecosystem manage-
ment focuses on human
and natural systems at
regional scales across
intergenerational time
periods.


 South Rorida Vision

 The Greater Everglades
 ecosystem is a unique regional
 and national resource of global
 significance whose continued
 existence is severely threaten-
 ed. Our vision is to recover
 and sustain a healthy South
 Florida ecosystem including a
 diverse human culture and its
 social and economic needs.


The ecosystem manage-
ment principles crystal-
lized at Isle au Haut reflect
currently developing con-
cepts and the relevant sci-
entific literature. These re-
sulting principles must be
considered as an integrated
whole.