Abstract
South Florida has a long history of land development schemes that changed ecosystems over large geographic areas. These changes have had both intended and unintended consequences on ecological connectivity, resulting in the loss of more than 50% of the historic Everglades ecosystem, greatly reducing freshwater flows to Florida Bay and redirecting flows to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries. Ecological connectivity has a variety of consequences that extend beyond the simple movement of the organisms themselves (Sheaves, 2009). The estuary interface provides critical links between land and marine ecosystems, which are particularly sensitive to changes in ecological connectivity. Altering the connections between terrestrial and aquatic systemscan create a number of challenges for resource managers.
