WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO REMOVE INVASIVE NON-NATIVE PLANTS FROM PUBLIC LANDS?
Scientific studies strongly indicate that invasive non-native plants harm Florida’s natural environment and lead to a loss of biodiversity. Many of Florida’s unique native plant and animal communities are found nowhere else in North America. Invasive non-native plants disrupt Florida’s natural environment by forming novel habitats and by altering ecological processes that permit native plant and animals to survive. For example, the Australian melaleuca tree forms dense forests in formerly treeless saw grass marshes of the Florida Everglades. Melaleuca trees also alter ecological processes by increasing soil elevations and by changing natural fire regimes that destroy the uniqueness of the Everglades. Endangered plants, animals, and native ecosystems are being pushed closer to extinction by invasive non-native plants. It is estimated that more than 1.7 million acres of Florida’s remaining natural areas have become infested with non-native plant species. Hydrilla, Florida’s most widespre
