These beautiful US national parks are in danger. Here’s why
Everglades National Park, Florida
Putting aside the water levels, the park has also experienced intense droughts and reduced rainfall in recent years, affecting the Everglades’ natural flow of rainwater which trickles down from the north along the slightly sloping terrain. As a result, the 1.5-million-acre wetlands are somewhat less wet than they once were.
Saguaro National Park, Arizona
Known for and named after the saguaro cactus, the largest cactus in the US, Saguaro National Park is at risk of losing its most famous inhabitant. Heatwaves, wildfires and droughts are becoming more common in the region and thousands of saguaros have already been killed, with experts predicting more to follow. A yearly monsoon usually hydrates the cactuses, but an unusually dry rainy season in 2020 caused great damage to the already fragile population.
Saguaro National Park, Arizona
It’s not only the saguaros that are at risk. The warming climate has promoted the spread of buffelgrass, an invasive species of weed that can almost completely cover arid areas of ground, choking the spaces in which wildflowers would normally bloom. The grass also provides thick, continuous fuel for wildfires, endangering not only cactuses but all other flora that stands in their way.
Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska
Climate change has caused Alaskan summers to lengthen, delaying the colder temperatures that arrive through September and October. In the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Reserve, these conditions have triggered the thawing of permafrost – the frozen ground that covers between 15 and 25% of all land in the Northern Hemisphere. As it decomposes, the frost emits greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane, which contribute to the global warming that is melting the park’s beautiful glaciers.
Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska
