"Over the past several decades the combination of rapidly growing regional human population, ever-growing recreational use, overfishing, and habitat alterations have placed significant stress on marine resources in the Florida Keys ecosystem including Everglades National Park (ENP), a 1.5 million acre sub-tropical wilderness situated at the southern tip of the Florida peninsula. The marine environment makes up nearly 1/3 of the Park acreage and includes Florida Bay and the Ten Thousand Islands/Cape Sable region. ENP is a unique marine environment, renown for its diverse natural resources, world-class fishing and boating opportunities, and spectacular scenic beauty. This ecosystem provides the foundation for multibillion-dollar fishing and tourism industries in south Florida"--Executive summary, paragraph 1.

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