State of the Park: Biscayne National Park
Learn about the issues facing Biscayne National Park in 2010 from National Geographic.
Just five miles (eight kilometers) from the heart of downtown Miami, Biscayne National Park is a wild oasis where coral reefs bring the biological diversity of a rain forest to the doorstep of one of America’s largest cities.
Biscayne is the largest marine park in the National Park System. It protects the northern end of the third longest coral reef tract in the world, the longest stretch of mangrove forest on Florida’s east coast, the southern part of Biscayne Bay, and 50 islands of the northern Florida Keys. A long fight to save these islands from development eventually gave birth to the park in 1968.
Unknowing Visitors
Ninety-five percent of Biscayne’s 173,000 acres (70,000 hectares) are covered by water, and most of its half million annual visitors arrive by boat. Many do so without ever realizing they’ve entered a national park.
“We don’t have fences and entrance stations out there, so many people are spending time in the park and don’t even know it,” says park ranger Gary Bremen.
Some of those users engage in activities that would be unthinkable in Yellowstone or Yosemite, including poaching, overfishing, and tearing up fragile shoreline habitats by beaching boats in fragile sawgrass.
Bremen stresses that these impacts can be mitigated, and that education is key.
“In South Florida it’s a challenge to get people to comprehend what it means to be in a national park. Lots of the residents here are new to the United States and from other countries where the use of natural resources occurs on a sort of 'everyone for themselves' basis.
“When people understand what it means to be in a national park, and what it means to use a national park, they have a better understanding of why restrictions exist that protect the fisheries and seagrass beds,” he says.
Climate Change Threat
Bremer adds that Biscayne also faces global challenges: There may be no U.S. park more threatened by climate change. Warming and more acidic oceans are problems for coral reefs worldwide, and sea level rise is a particular concern at Biscayne.
“We’re 95 percent underwater,” Bremen said, “and it’s not going to take much to put everything underwater.”
Related Topics
You May Also Like
Go Further
Animals
- Cougar travels 1,000 miles in one of longest recorded treksCougar travels 1,000 miles in one of longest recorded treks
- Rare gray whale spotted in the Atlantic—and it's only the beginningRare gray whale spotted in the Atlantic—and it's only the beginning
- Why 'funga' is just as important as flora and faunaWhy 'funga' is just as important as flora and fauna
- Termite fossils prove mating hasn't changed in 38 million yearsTermite fossils prove mating hasn't changed in 38 million years
Environment
- Why the 2024 hurricane season could be especially activeWhy the 2024 hurricane season could be especially active
- Mushroom leather? The future of fashion is closer than you think.Mushroom leather? The future of fashion is closer than you think.
- This deadly fungus is hitchhiking its way across the worldThis deadly fungus is hitchhiking its way across the world
- Why 'funga' is just as important as flora and faunaWhy 'funga' is just as important as flora and fauna
- This exploding mine holds a treasure that may change the worldThis exploding mine holds a treasure that may change the world
History & Culture
- See the story of Jonah and the whale like never beforeSee the story of Jonah and the whale like never before
- This ancient mosaic offers extraordinary insights into the pastThis ancient mosaic offers extraordinary insights into the past
- These are the real dunes that inspired Dune—and you can visit themThese are the real dunes that inspired Dune—and you can visit them
- Meet the only woman privy to the plot to kill Julius CaesarMeet the only woman privy to the plot to kill Julius Caesar
Science
- Women’s bodies are understudied—but that’s starting to changeWomen’s bodies are understudied—but that’s starting to change
- Hundreds of tiny arachnids are likely on your face right nowHundreds of tiny arachnids are likely on your face right now
- What's worse than a hangover? Hangxiety. Here's why it happens.What's worse than a hangover? Hangxiety. Here's why it happens.
Travel
- A taste of West Bengal, from curries to Kolkata street foodA taste of West Bengal, from curries to Kolkata street food
- Discover southeastern Spain's secret coastal regionDiscover southeastern Spain's secret coastal region
- All aboard Norway's slow train under the midnight sunAll aboard Norway's slow train under the midnight sun