Southeast

Stretching from Virginia to Louisiana and down to the Florida Everglades, the Southeast region is a lush and diverse landscape that includes extensive coastal areas, roughly half of the remaining wetlands in the lower 48 states, as well as mountains and forests.

Rising sea levels put the Southeast’s fragile coastal and wetland areas at-risk, especially in the low-lying Everglades ecosystem, where many areas are only barely above sea level. Sea rise also brings salt water farther inland, harming wildlife and plants adapted to fresh water. Entire coastal forests along the Gulf of Mexico are dying due to salt water moving in, while coastal fisheries are being seriously impacted as coastal marshes are displaced or destroyed.

Global warming may contribute to increased frequency and intensity of hurricanes, which threatens coastal habitats and low-lying islands with damage and erosion. More rain is also projected to lead to more flooding, as well as reduced water quality. And as sea temperatures rise, coral reef ecosystems are especially vulnerable and widespread coral “bleaching” is projected to increase.

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Species in the region:

• American Crocodile
• Coral Reef
• Diamondback Terrapin
• Florida Panther
• Green Sea Tturtle
• Monarch Butterfly
• Northern Flying Squirrel
• Piping Plover
• Sugar Maple