Land use dynamics and ecological transition: the case of

This study examines the process of land use change in South Florida. Through this discussion, a conceptual model of ecological transition is developed and presented. The model is built on the general principles of neoclassical economic theories of land rent, behavioral models of resource use, and an historical geographic account of envi- ronmental change. Central to the paper is the specification of the theoretical link between demographics, market and service demands, land use, and ecological change. This study focuses on the nature and drivers of environmental change that has occurred in South Florida since 1900. The region studied includes the southern Florida Everglades and the surrounding area. The analysis determines that massive land use/land cover has taken place in the region, particularly since the end of World War II. These landscape changes are conceptualized by a model that links regional demand for both agricultural and residential land through the agency of hierarchical forces. In this model, landscape evolution and natural areas encroachment are articulated as a dynamic process in which the regime of interaction between human systems and land use changes. Three main time periods for regional ecological transition are defined: (1) frontier closure; (2) articulation of a system of cities with coupled agricultural hinterlands serving national and international markets. Differing land use change dynamics are identified as specific to each time period. The impact of human population on environmental sustainability is complex and varies from system to system.‡ Historical change involving technological and cognitive adaptations, as well as the hierarchical articulation of impacting forces, complicate specification of such impacts (Blaikie and Brookfield, 1987). The Human Dominated Systems Directorate (HDSD) of the U.S. Man and the Biosphere Program has addressed several of these issues in a case study of South Florida. In this region extensive ecological resources of international significance exist in close proximity to burgeoning urban populations (Long, 1995). This paper presents a discussion of historical changes in factors affecting the relationship between human and ecological systems. The policy debate surrounding sustainability and maintenance of scarce ecological resources can only be resolved by dealing with the human and ecological factors in such an integrated fashion. The designation of national parks and wilderness land is becoming increasingly problematic in the current era of rapidly growing global population and political conflict (Solecki, 1994;