Linkages between the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Initiative

The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is a large, multiple-use marine protected area, including a network of fully protected marine zones, which was designated in 1990 to protect the coral reef ecosystem surrounding the Florida Keys. The South Florida Ecosystem Restoration (SFER) Initiative was formed in 1993 to restore more natural flows to the ecosystem, restore and enhance the natural system, and transform the built environment. These two large-scale efforts at ecosystem-based management are tightly linked, albeit asymmetrically because of the importance of restored flows of pure fresh water across the Everglades and into the coastal ecosystem. The growing population of South Florida, combined with increasing development, agriculture, and other human activities, imperils the entire South Florida ecosystem, from the headwaters of Lake Okeechobee to the Florida Reef Tract. This paper presents the evolution and characteristics of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and the SFER Initiative, which have both been tasked with addressing complex issues regarding ecosystem-based management. Key linkages between these programs involve connectivity, both physical and human, through circulation patterns and exchange processes in South Florida coastal waters and through the complex bureaucracy that has grown to manage human uses of natural resources.