As Audubon’s new senior supervisor of Everglades coverage, I’m honored to affix this work at a time of actual momentum and risk for the River of Grass. Throughout South Florida, we’re seeing the outcomes of a long time of dedication to restoring the Everglades, and the ahead movement is tangible.
This yr’s State of the Everglades report highlights each significant progress and the work nonetheless forward. Restoration efforts beneath the Complete Everglades Restoration Plan are starting to reconnect water stream, enhance habitat, and strengthen resilience towards rising seas. Investments are rising, tasks are advancing, and communities are coming collectively across the shared imaginative and prescient of a wholesome, flowing Everglades that helps each wildlife and other people.
However progress, whereas actual, is just not the identical as completion. There may be a lot work to be executed and the positive factors we see at this time depend upon sustained momentum. Success will depend on collaboration throughout federal, state, Tribal, and native companions, working collectively to make sure priorities stay aligned and targeted. Initiatives designed to revive pure water stream and revive essential habitats can not change into secondary priorities.
Everglades restoration stays one of many nation’s most consequential environmental commitments, one which protects each a novel ecosystem and South Florida’s future. We should work collectively in any respect ranges to make sure that restoration efforts transfer ahead with the urgency they demand, and that progress is just not overshadowed by shifting priorities.
This article first appeared in the Spring 2026 State of the Everglades Report.
