Summary: In central and southern Florida, where national parks and wildlife refuges abut farmland, urban areas, and Indian reservations, the boundaries between public and private lands and between federal, state, local, and tribal jurisdictions overlay the ecological boundaries created by the flow of water. During the last half century, engineering projects have altered the quantity and timing of the water's flow, agricultural runoff has altered water quality, and urbanization has fragmented the region's ecosystem. As a result, South Florida--including the Everglades and Florida Bay--is showing signs of ecological distress. Federal agencies began an effort in 1993 to coordinate environmental restoration in South Florida. In addition, the Administration has identified South Florida as a site for testing a new approach to ensuring a healthy environment and managing the nation's lands and natural resources. This approach, which recognizes the interrelationships between natural systems and healthy, sustainable economies, cuts across the boundaries of ownership and jurisdiction. Central to this new approach is the need for federal and nonfederal stakeholders to collaborate and build consensus on solutions to problems of mutual concern. This report (1) identifies the processes used by federal agencies to involve nonfederal stakeholders in environmental restoration efforts in South Florida and (2) the lessons learned about federal and nonfederal collaboration and consensus-building in South Florida that may be applicable elsewhere.
