Everglades National Park

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Everglades National Park: A Unique Tropical Wilderness in the United States

The Everglades National Park, located in the southernmost part of Florida, is a unique and significant natural wonder that offers a diverse ecosystem unlike any other in the United States. This expansive park, covering approximately 20% of the original Everglades, is the largest subtropical wilderness in North America, the largest wilderness area east of the Mississippi River, and the third-largest national park in the contiguous United States, surpassed only by Death Valley and Yellowstone.

The park's official short description by UNESCO aptly refers to it as “a river of grass flowing imperceptibly from the hinterland into the sea,” a phrase coined and popularized by conservationist Marjory Stoneman Douglas. This description highlights the park's distinctive landscape, which consists primarily of marshy grasslands and wetlands. The Everglades National Park is a vast, interconnected system of waterways, including rivers, sloughs, marshes, and mangrove forests, that support an extraordinary array of plant and animal life.

One of the most notable aspects of the Everglades National Park is its exceptional variety of water habitats. These diverse water environments have made it a sanctuary for a multitude of bird and reptile species. Among these are the American crocodile, which exists here alongside the iconic American alligator, the Florida panther, and the endangered West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris). The park is also home to more than 350 bird species, making it a popular destination for birdwatchers.

In addition to its rich wildlife, the Everglades National Park holds cultural significance for various indigenous communities. While the Calusa and Tequesta have ancient historical ties to the land, the park today maintains active collaborations with the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida and the Seminole Tribe of Florida to preserve and share their cultural heritage through educational programs and partnerships.

The Everglades National Park was established as a national park in 1947, following decades of efforts to protect this fragile ecosystem from development and exploitation. In 1976, UNESCO designated the Everglades & Dry Tortugas Biosphere Reserve, recognizing the park's global importance. Two years later, in 1979, the Everglades was listed as a World Heritage Site. The Ramsar Convention, an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, included the park on its list of Wetlands of International Importance in 1987. 

Notably, the Everglades is the only site in the United States to appear on all three international conservation lists: World Heritage Site, Biosphere Reserve, and Ramsar Wetland. Despite these recognitions, the park remains on the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger—a status it has held continuously since 2010 due to ongoing threats from nutrient pollution, invasive species (such as the Burmese python), and deteriorating water levels.

Today, an average of one million people visit the Everglades National Park each year, drawn by its breathtaking beauty and unique biodiversity. Visitors can explore the park via guided tours, hiking trails, boat trips, and wildlife observation platforms. The park's visitor centers offer educational exhibits, ranger-led programs, and opportunities to learn about the park's history, culture, and conservation efforts.

Overall, the Everglades National Park stands as a testament to the remarkable diversity and resilience of nature. Its designation as a World Heritage Site reflects the global community's recognition of its outstanding universal value. By preserving and protecting this unique tropical wilderness, we ensure not only the survival of its incredible flora and fauna but also the continued enrichment of our collective human experience.

UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

This site at the southern tip of Florida has been called 'a river of grass flowing imperceptibly from the hinterland into the sea'. The exceptional variety of its water habitats has made it a sanctuary for a large number of birds and reptiles, as well as for threatened species such as the manatee.

UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site

Criterion (viii): The Everglades is a vast, nearly flat, seabed that was submerged at the end of the last Ice Age. Its limestone substrate is one of the most active areas of modern carbonate sedimentation.

Criterion (ix): The Everglades contains vast subtropical wetlands and coastal/marine ecosystems including freshwater marshes, tropical hardwood hammocks, pine rocklands, extensive mangrove forests, saltwater marshes, and seagrass ecosystems important to commercial and recreational fisheries. Complex biological processes range from basic algal associations through progressively higher species and ultimately to primary predators such as the alligator, crocodile, and Florida panther; the food chain is superbly evident and unbroken. The mixture of subtropical and temperate wildlife species is found nowhere else in the United States.

Criterion (x): Everglades National Park is a noteworthy example of viable biological processes. The exceptional variety of its water habitats has made it a sanctuary for a large number of birds and reptiles and it provides refuge for over 20 rare, endangered, and threatened species. These include the Florida panther, snail kite, alligator, crocodile, and manatee. It provides important foraging and breeding habitat for more than 400 species of birds, includes the most significant breeding grounds for wading birds in North America and is a major corridor for migration.

Encyclopedia Record: Everglades National Park

Everglades National Park is a national park of the United States that protects the southern twenty percent of the original Everglades in Florida. The park is the largest tropical wilderness in the United States and the largest wilderness of any kind east of the Mississippi River. An average of one million people visit the park each year. Everglades is the third-largest national park in the contiguous United States after Death Valley and Yellowstone. It was declared a national park in 1947. UNESCO declared the Everglades & Dry Tortugas Biosphere Reserve in 1976 and listed the park as a World Heritage Site in 1979, and the Ramsar Convention included the park on its list of Wetlands of International Importance in 1987. Everglades is one of only three locations in the world to appear on all three lists.

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IUCN World Heritage Outlook

The 2025 Conservation Outlook on Everglades National Park reports the following assessment:

Source: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) · View assessment