The Florida panhandle lies on a strip of land that measures 320 km by 160 km. It borders Georgia to the North, Alabama to the west and the Mexico Gulf to the south. Geographically, this place is significant because of its role in promoting biodiversity. The strip’s biodiversity has been termed as being extraordinary.
Florida panhandle has a unique and amazing natural history. Together with its surroundings such as Mississipi and the Gulf Coast, this place remains a mystery. To date, the place is not known by many people. Within the boundaries of this region, there are more native animals and plants than any region in the United States of America. It is, therefore, ironical that for a number of centuries, the biodiversity and incredible species of this region has been ignored and overlooked (Knight et al. 87).
In the United States of America, areas that have diverse species include the Everglades, the Southwest and the southern Appalachian Mountains. However, these places comprise of only 75 percent of species found in the Gulf Coast. The southern Mexico (tropical areas) has a high number of species. In the entire America, the highest biodiversity species exist within the central part of Florida Panhandle, along river Apalachicola (Identification of Evolutionary Hotspots Based on Genetic Data and Gap Analysis of Hotspots in Protected Lands Encompassed by the South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative., 78). The number here is always high, declining as one moves towards the eastern region. To the east lies Suwannee river and to the west, Pascagoula river. Experts state that the region has more than 2000 native plants and 788 native vertebrates. This makes the Panhandle one of the richest areas in terms of biodiversity in the whole world. This number is high especially when one takes into account that it does not include neighboring areas. It is high time for this region to be taken seriously because of its significance.
Works Cited
Identification of Evolutionary Hotspots Based on Genetic Data and Gap Analysis of Hotspots in Protected Lands Encompassed by the South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, n.d.. Print.
Knight, Gary R. Atlas of Florida's Natural Heritage: Biodiversity, Landscapes, Stewardship, and Opportunities. Tallahassee, Fla: Institute of Science and Public Affairs, Florida State U, 2011. Print.
