An engaging look at the Everglades, its history, its plants and animals, and the challenges facing scientists trying to save the River of Grass face today.

Many may not realize that the Everglades National Park is cut off from the water that gives it life. Its ecosystem begins well above the park's boundary, extending more than three hundred miles from the Kissimmee River (near Tampa and Orlando) southward through Florida Bay. It is the most endangered ecosystem in North America. The Book of the Everglades is a story of how much was changed when the vast river of grass was drained and converted to agriculture, its natural plumbing channeled so that nearby towns and farms would be protected from flood and saved in drought. It's a story of how one of North America's largest freshwater lakes ended up with a moat around it. A story of the sugar barons who were kicked out of Cuba and settled in what is now known as the Everglades Agricultural Area. A story of the largest subdivision in the world, platted on drained wetlands. A story of the soil that is no longer replenished and gives way at the rate of one foot every ten years. It is a story told by writers who know how to tell a story, and who convey the workings of the entire Everglades ecosystem and the impact of its inhabitants. ... Publisher description.

'The book provides valuable contributions on three related fronts: It places past and current debates on ecosystem restoration of the Everglades in a clear systems context that acknowledges feedback between ecosystem quality and economic growth; shows for the case of the Everglades that good intentions of providing generous financial support for restoration may lead to undesired effects that actually run counter to the original goal; and demonstrates the use of regional modeling tools to develop consistent baseline forecasts and alternative scenarios.' - Matthias Ruth, University of Maryland, College Park, US The restoration of the Florida Everglades, the largest ecosystem restoration project in the world, is now underway. Missing from the original plan, however, is a study of the region's cities and farms and the economic impact their growth will make on this already endangered ecosystem. This book provides that analysis.