Special Symposium on Water Quality Issues in South Florida Annual Science Meeting of the SFC CESU

Management of Greater Everglades Ecosystems: The Joint Ecosystem Modeling Laboratory Laura Brandt, USFWS [email protected] Integrating Ecological and Hydrological Models for Adaptive Management of Greater Everglades Ecosystems: The Joint Ecosystem Modeling Laboratory Best, G.R., US Geological Survey Brandt, L.A., US Fish and Wildlife Service Mazzotti, F.J., University of Florida Adaptive management of restoration of Greater Everglades Ecosystem is required by legislation authorizing the project. Adaptive management and assessment is an organized system of learning to reduce uncertainty inherent in making natural resource management decisions, especially on a large scale. Conceptual models have been used to catalyze integration of existing information to identify vital ecosystem attributes and their linkages with ecosystem stressors. Pre-project evaluations and post-project assessments integrate hydrological and habitat based ecological models to compare and forecast effects of restoration alternatives on selected ecological attributes. The Joint Ecosystem Modeling Laboratory is a SFC-CESU partnership project involving the USNPS, USFWS, USGS, FAU, UM, Audubon, UT (from the Southern Appalachian CESU), and UF. The JEM Lab has been involved in developing and applying ecological models for project evaluation and the Everglades Depth Estimation Network. (EDEN). The SFC-CESU provides the perfect venue for the multi-disciplinary collaboration and cooperation necessary for solving complex problem of restoring complex systems. SERC WQMN: Long-term Declines in TOC, TON and TP Export from the Everglades