Cattails, bulrushes and sawgrass are familiar hydrophytes. Florida's best known wetlands are the Everglades. Other wetlands are cypress ponds, strands, and prairies, river swamps, and flood plains, other forested freshwater wetlands, freshwater marshes, wet prairies, salt marshes, and mangrove swamps. All provide important benefits to people and the environment. For more information, go to the Special Feature on wetlands.
Wetlands are the largest component of the state's surface waters in terms of total area.
They occur near the ocean and gulf, adjacent to rivers and lakes, in areas of poor soil drainage, and in relict lake valleys or river channels. Prior to development, wetlands covered about half the state's area. Over one third of the original wetlands have been drained for agriculture, flood control and residential development. Much of the remaining wetlands have been adversely affected by land use practices which have resulted in vegetation destruction, nutrient and toxic loading, sedimentation, and altered flow regimes. Wetlands are among Florida's most valuable and productive ecosystems.