The impact of deforestation on the exchange of water vapor and carbon dioxide between the atmosphere and the terrestrial land surface is the biggest concern with regard to the climate system, said Daley. Changes in their atmospheric concentration will have a direct effect on climate. Deforestation has decreased global vapor flows from land by 4 percent, according to a study published by the National Academy of Sciences.
Florida Wetlands are defined as: those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface water or ground water at a frequency and a duration sufficient to support, and under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soils.
Florida mangrove plant communities covered an estimated 430,000 to 540,000 acres (1,700 to 2,200 km 2) in Florida in 1981. Ninety percent of the Florida mangroves are in southern Florida, in Collier, Lee, Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties. Approximately 280,000 acres (1,100 km 2) of mangrove forests are in the hands of the Federal, State and local governments, and of private, non-profit organizations.