Nature's Tree Islands and Man's Vegetated Hammocks

This ~25-minute documentary takes you behind the scenes as scientists, engineers, and other experts work together to incorporate the latest science into the design and construction of an Everglades restoration project. Prior to drainage and development, the Everglades was a mosaic of sawgrass marsh ridges, wet prairies, and deepwater sloughs dotted with elevated tree islands that numbered in the thousands. The Central Everglades Planning Project-North is an ambitious ecological restoration project designed to restore more natural freshwater flows into and through the central and southern Everglades. As part of this project, scientists, engineers, and other experts came together to design vegetated hammocks, restored areas modeled after tree islands that will be constructed to help provide habitat for wildlife and restore a more natural flow of water. This process highlights how the latest science can be used to inform decision-making, reduce uncertainties, and improve the success of Everglades restoration.  

This video was created by Florida Atlantic University's Center for Environmental Studies and RECOVER ​ ​ , with funding and partnership from the USGS Greater Everglades Priority Ecosystem Sciences Program.

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