Stunning Photos of the Endangered Everglades | Mac Stone | TED Talks

譯者: lin quan 審譯者: Adrienne Lin

So I've had the great privilege

我曾有幸遊覽過

of traveling to some incredible places,

一些非常不可思議的地方，

photographing these distant landscapes and remote cultures

並為這些遍佈全球的 遙遠風景和邊緣文化

all over the world.

拍攝照片。

I love my job.

我熱愛我的工作。

But people think it's this string of epiphanies

大家都以為我的工作 應該伴隨著一連串的頓悟、

and sunrises and rainbows,

日出和彩虹，

when in reality, it looks more something like this.

可是在現實中，往往是這樣的。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

This is my office.

這就是我的辦公室。

We can't afford the fanciest places to stay at night,

我們無法提供最理想的過夜之所，

so we tend to sleep a lot outdoors.

所以我們常常露宿野外。

As long as we can stay dry,

只要我們能保持乾燥，

that's a bonus.

就是一種福利。

We also can't afford the fanciest restaurants.

我們也沒錢吃最高級的餐館。

So we tend to eat whatever's on the local menu.

所以我們要入鄉隨俗地吃當地食物。

如果你去到厄瓜多的 Páramo，

And if you're in the Ecuadorian Páramo,

you're going to eat a large rodent called a cuy.

你將能吃到一種超大的天竺鼠。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But what makes our experiences perhaps a little bit different

但是真正鑄就我們那些

與眾不同獨特經驗的，

and a little more unique than that of the average person

is that we have this gnawing thing in the back of our mind

也許就是哪種扎根 在我們的腦海中的想法，

that even in our darkest moments, and those times of despair,

那就是即使在我們最黑暗的時刻， 和那些絕望的瞬間，

we think, "Hey, there might be an image to be made here,

我們都還會想到： 「嗨，我們該為這裡拍張照片，

there might be a story to be told."

這裡的故事應該讓更多人知道。 」

And why is storytelling important?

為什麼講故事如此重要？

Well, it helps us to connect with our cultural and our natural heritage.

因為，故事是我們與自身文化 和自然遺產的連接紐帶。

And in the Southeast,

但是在美國東南部，

there's an alarming disconnect between the public

公眾與自然區域之間 響起了彼此失聯的警鐘，

and the natural areas that allow us to be here in the first place.

而這片自然區域 恰是我們能進入這裡的大門。

We're visual creatures,

我們都是視覺生物，

so we use what we see to teach us what we know.

所以我們用親眼所見的 去教導我們所知的。

Now the majority of us aren't going to willingly go

我們中的大多數人 都非常不願意

way down to a swamp.

走入一片沼澤。

So how can we still expect those same people to then advocate

所以我們要如何繼續期待這些人，

會成為提倡保護濕地的表率呢？

on behalf of their protection?

We can't.

我們做不到。

So my job, then, is to use photography as a communication tool,

所以我的工作就是， 用攝影作為傳達工具，

to help bridge the gap between the science and the aesthetics,

在科學與美學之間 搭起一座橋樑。

to get people talking,

讓人們交談，

to get them thinking,

讓人們思考，

and to hopefully, ultimately,

然後最終希望，

get them caring.

讓他們關心自然。

I started doing this 15 years ago right here in Gainesville,

15年前，我就在蓋恩斯維爾 這裡從事攝影工作，

right here in my backyard.

就在我家後院中。

And I fell in love with adventure and discovery,

我熱愛冒險、發現，

going to explore all these different places

以及去探索所有的那些

that were just minutes from my front doorstep.

離我家只有幾分鐘路程的不同地方。

There are a lot of beautiful places to find.

在那裡，可以找到許多美麗的地方。

Despite all these years that have passed,

即便這麼多年過去，

I still see the world through the eyes of a child

我依然用孩童的目光 去看待這個世界，

and I try to incorporate that sense of wonderment

並且我每次都盡我所能地

and that sense of curiosity into my photography

嘗試將那些驚歎和好奇的感受，

as often as I can.

用我的攝影描繪出來。

And we're pretty lucky because here in the South,

而且我們非常幸運，因為在南部，

we're still blessed with a relatively blank canvas

我們何其有幸地擁有 這麼一塊空白的畫布，

that we can fill with the most fanciful adventures

讓我們得以在上面填滿 最富有想像力的冒險，

and incredible experiences.

和難以置信的體驗。

It's just a matter of how far our imagination will take us.

想像力有多遠，我們就走多遠。

See, a lot of people look at this and they say,

很多人看著這張照片說道：

"Oh yeah, wow, that's a pretty tree."

「哇哦，這棵樹真漂亮。」

But I don't just see a tree --

可是我看到的不僅僅是樹，

I look at this and I see opportunity.

當我望著這張照片時， 我看到的是契機，

I see an entire weekend.

和一整個愉快的週末。

Because when I was a kid, these were the types of images

因為在我的孩提時代， 正是這類照片

that got me off the sofa and dared me to explore,

讓我離開沙發激勵我去探索，

dared me to go find the woods

激勵我去尋找森林，

and put my head underwater and see what we have.

讓我潛入水底去探查裡面裝著什麼。

And folks, I've been photographing all over the world

諸位，我的攝影足跡遍佈全球。

and I promise you,

我向你們保證，

what we have here in the South,

我們在南部所擁有的，

what we have in the Sunshine State,

我們在陽光之州佛羅里達所擁有的，

rivals anything else that I've seen.

足以媲美我見過的任何風景。

But yet our tourism industry is busy promoting all the wrong things.

但是我們的旅遊業卻在 極力推銷那些錯誤的東西。

Before most kids are 12, they'll have been to Disney World

大部分的孩子在12歲前 去迪士尼世界的次數，

more times than they've been in a canoe

遠遠超出他們在佈滿繁星的星空下，

or camping under a starry sky.

乘駕獨木舟或露營的次數。

And I have nothing against Disney or Mickey; I used to go there, too.

當然我並非反對迪士尼和米老鼠； 我以前也去過。

But they're missing out on those fundamental connections

但是他們因此錯失了

that create a real sense of pride and ownership

可以創造他們與故鄉之間那種

for the place that they call home.

驕傲感與認同感的基礎連結。

And this is compounded by the issue that the landscapes

這是一系列互相關聯的問題：

風景塑造了我們的自然遺產，

that define our natural heritage

and fuel our aquifer for our drinking water

並且補充著我們的地下蓄水層， 以供給被我們認為是

have been deemed as scary and dangerous and spooky.

可怕、危險， 和令人毛骨悚然的飲用水。

當我們的祖先第一次踏上這片土地，

When our ancestors first came here,

they warned, "Stay out of these areas, they're haunted.

他們警告說： 「遠離那些區域，那裡鬧鬼，

They're full of evil spirits and ghosts."

那裡充滿了惡靈與幽魂。」

I don't know where they came up with that idea.

我不知道他們這些想法 是從哪得來的。

But it's actually led to a very real disconnect,

但它確實造成了一種分離、

a very real negative mentality

一種非常消極的心理，

that has kept the public disinterested, silent,

讓公眾對這裡漠不關心和沉默，

and ultimately, our environment at risk.

以致最終， 讓我們的環境處於危險之中。

We're a state that's surrounded and defined by water,

我們是一個由水 包圍和構成的州，

and yet for centuries,

可是幾個世紀以來，

swamps and wetlands have been regarded

沼澤與濕地被視為是

as these obstacles to overcome.

我們需要克服的障礙。

And so we've treated them as these second-class ecosystems,

因此我們將其當做是 次要的生態系統，

because they have very little monetary value

因為它們在金錢上的價值很小。

and of course, they're known to harbor alligators and snakes --

當然，裡面也是短吻鱷 和蛇類的避風港。

which, I'll admit, these aren't the most cuddly of ambassadors.

我不得不承認， 牠們並非這片土地最可愛的使者。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

So it became assumed, then, that the only good swamp

所以大家會認為，最好的沼澤

was a drained swamp.

應該是一片乾涸的沼澤。

And in fact,

但事實上，

draining a swamp to make way for agriculture and development

為了農業和開發鋪路 而排乾沼澤的做法，

was considered the very essence of conservation not too long ago.

不久前還被認為是一種 保護濕地的絕對手段。

But now we're backpedaling,

但是現在我們改變了想法，

because the more we come to learn about these sodden landscapes,

因為我們越深入去了解 這些豐澤的景色，

the more secrets we're starting to unlock

我們解鎖的奧秘便越多，

about interspecies relationships

關於各個物種間的關係，

and the connectivity of habitats, watersheds and flyways.

牠們棲息地之間的關聯， 分佈流域和遷徙路線。

以這種鳥為例。

Take this bird, for example:

this is the prothonotary warbler.

這是一隻蘭翅黃森鶯。

I love this bird because it's a swamp bird,

我喜歡這種鳥，因為牠是沼澤鳥。

through and through, a swamp bird.

徹徹底底的沼澤鳥。

They nest and they mate and they breed in these old-growth swamps

牠們從築巢到交配到繁育 都在這片古老的沼澤，

in these flooded forests.

和被水浸沒的森林中。

And so after the spring, after they raise their young,

春天過後等牠們把雛鳥哺育成年，

they then fly thousand of miles over the Gulf of Mexico

牠們將飛越數千英里 橫跨墨西哥灣，

into Central and South America.

進入美國中南部。

And then after the winter,

然後渡過寒冬，

the spring rolls around and they come back.

春天重臨大地，牠們便會返航。

They fly thousands of miles over the Gulf of Mexico.

牠們再次飛越數千英里 橫跨墨西哥灣。

And where do they go? Where do they land?

牠們去了哪裡？牠們在哪著陸？

Right back in the same tree.

牠們回到了同一顆樹。

That's nuts.

這太迷人了。

This is a bird the size of a tennis ball --

這種鳥的體型只有網球大小。

I mean, that's crazy!

我覺得，這太神奇了！

I used a GPS to get here today,

我今天靠GPS導航才能來到這，

and this is my hometown.

而且這還是在我的家鄉。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

It's crazy.

太不可思議了。

So what happens, then, when this bird flies over the Gulf of Mexico

所以，當這種鳥橫跨墨西哥灣，

into Central America for the winter

進入美國中南部過冬，

and then the spring rolls around and it flies back,

然後春天重返時，牠會再飛回來，

and it comes back to this:

回來所看到的卻是這種景象：

a freshly sodded golf course?

一個新鮮的草地高爾夫球場？

This is a narrative that's all too commonly unraveling

這種事情對於我們這個州來說，

here in this state.

再尋常不過了。

And this is a natural process that's occurred for thousands of years

這一自然歷程存在數千年之久，

但我們最近才學會了解它。

and we're just now learning about it.

So you can imagine all else we have to learn about these landscapes

所以你可以想像這片風景中 還有多少這樣的事情需要去了解，

if we just preserve them first.

但前提是我們要保護它們。

Now despite all this rich life that abounds in these swamps,

現在雖然有如此豐富的物種 生活在沼澤中，

they still have a bad name.

它們卻始終惡名昭彰。

Many people feel uncomfortable with the idea of wading

許多人想到自己跋涉在 佛羅里達的黑水河中時，

into Florida's blackwater.

他們會覺得不舒服。

I can understand that.

我理解這種感受。

But what I loved about growing up in the Sunshine State

但是在陽光之州長大的我， 喜歡這裡的原因是，

is that for so many of us,

我們之中的大多數人，

we live with this latent but very palpable fear

樂於與顯見的潛在恐懼 一同生活，

that when we put our toes into the water,

當我們將腳趾深入水中，

there might be something much more ancient

那裡可能存在著某些 比我們更加古老、

and much more adapted than we are.

比我們更加適應這個環境的生物。

Knowing that you're not top dog is a welcomed discomfort, I think.

當你了解到自己並非這裡的主宰時， 這是非常難受和不安的。

在這個現代化、 城市化和數位化的時代，

How often in this modern and urban and digital age

do you actually get the chance to feel vulnerable,

你有多少機會去體驗脆弱感，

or consider that the world may not have been made for just us?

或者思考這個世界 未必是專為我們而建造的？

So for the last decade,

所以在過去的十年間，

I began seeking out these areas where the concrete yields to forest

我在探尋從鋼筋叢林到真正的森林，

and the pines turn to cypress,

從松樹林到柏木林的區域，

and I viewed all these mosquitoes and reptiles,

然後我看遍了所有的蚊子和爬蟲類，

all these discomforts,

所有這些讓人不舒服的生物，

as affirmations that I'd found true wilderness,

我肯定我找到了真正的荒野，

and I embrace them wholly.

我擁抱它們所有的一切。

Now as a conservation photographer obsessed with blackwater,

身為一個著迷於黑水河的 環境保護攝影師，

it's only fitting that I'd eventually end up

我最終找到了唯一適合我的地方，

in the most famous swamp of all:

也是所有的沼澤地中最著名的地方：

the Everglades.

大沼澤地。

Growing up here in North Central Florida,

在佛羅里達長大，

it always had these enchanted names,

這裡總有一些充滿魔力的地名，

places like Loxahatchee and Fakahatchee,

像洛克瑟哈和斐克瑟哈，

Corkscrew, Big Cypress.

螺絲錐、大絲柏等。

I started what turned into a five-year project

我開始了一個 後來耗時五年的計畫，

to hopefully reintroduce the Everglades in a new light,

希望以一種嶄新、 且更具啟發性的角度，

in a more inspired light.

向世人重新介紹大沼澤地。

But I knew this would be a tall order, because here you have an area

但我知道這會非常辛苦，因為這裡，

that's roughly a third the size the state of Florida, it's huge.

大致有佛羅里達州的三分之一大， 它太大了。

And when I say Everglades,

當我說到大沼澤地的時候，

most people are like, "Oh, yeah, the national park."

可能大部分人會說： 「哦，對，國家公園。」

But the Everglades is not just a park; it's an entire watershed,

但是大沼澤地不僅僅是公園， 它是一整片流域，

starting with the Kissimmee chain of lakes in the north,

發源於北方湖泊的基西米河流域。

and then as the rains would fall in the summer,

當夏天雨季來臨，

these downpours would flow into Lake Okeechobee,

傾盆大雨注入奧科喬比湖，

and Lake Okeechobee would fill up and it would overflow its banks

奧科喬比湖水滿漲時會漫過堤岸，

and spill southward, ever slowly, with the topography,

順著地勢緩慢向南方流去，

and get into the river of grass, the Sawgrass Prairies,

最後進入青草之湖 索格拉斯大草原，

before meting into the cypress slews,

之後再進入大片松柏林，

until going further south into the mangrove swamps,

然後一直向北方蔓延 流入紅樹林沼澤，

and then finally -- finally -- reaching Florida Bay,

最終抵達佛羅里達灣，

the emerald gem of the Everglades,

猶如大沼澤地上的祖母綠寶石，

the great estuary,

這片壯闊的港灣，

the 850 square-mile estuary.

有著850平方英里。

So sure, the national park is the southern end of this system,

所以可以確定的是，國家公園只是 這整個系統的最南端，

but all the things that make it unique are these inputs that come in,

但是讓它變得與眾不同的是，

那些從100英里外的北方 奔騰而至的淡水。

the fresh water that starts 100 miles north.

So no manner of these political or invisible boundaries

沒有政策或是那些看不見的約束

protect the park from polluted water or insufficient water.

可以保護公園遠離水汙染或乾旱。

And unfortunately, that's precisely what we've done.

所以不幸的是，會有這樣的結果 也是我們造成的。

Over the last 60 years,

過去60年中，

we have drained, we have dammed, we have dredged the Everglades

我們泄水、築垻、挖掘大沼澤地，

to where now only one third of the water that used to reach the bay

以至於現在抵達佛羅里達灣的水量，

now reaches the bay today.

只有過去的三分之一。

So this story is not all sunshine and rainbows, unfortunately.

所以不幸的是， 這個故事不全是陽光和彩虹

For better or for worse,

無論好壞與否，

the story of the Everglades is intrinsically tied

大沼澤地的故事，

本質上與人類和大自然關係的起伏好壞

to the peaks and the valleys of mankind's relationship

with the natural world.

是緊密相連的。

But I'll show you these beautiful pictures,

但是我要給你們展示一些美麗的照片，

because it gets you on board.

因為這樣才能讓你們進入狀態。

And while I have your attention, I can tell you the real story.

當你們的注意力被吸引過來時， 我將告訴你們真正的故事。

It's that we're taking this,

我們最初看到的是這樣，

and we're trading it for this,

但我們以驚人的速度 把它變成了這番景象。

at an alarming rate.

很多人沒有意識到的是

And what's lost on so many people

is the sheer scale of which we're discussing.

我們正在探討的範圍有多麼大。

Because the Everglades is not just responsible for the drinking water

因為大沼澤地所承載的不僅僅是

為七百萬佛羅里達居民提供飲用水；

for 7 million Floridians;

today it also provides the agricultural fields

現在它還灌溉大量農田，

for the year-round tomatoes and oranges

以全年種植番茄和橘子，

for over 300 million Americans.

供應超過三億美國人。

And it's that same seasonal pulse of water in the summer

同樣的夏季季節性洪水，

that built the river of grass 6,000 years ago.

在六千年前形成了青草之河。

Ironically, today, it's also responsible for the over half a million acres

諷刺的是，今天它同樣 承載著超過50萬英畝、

of the endless river of sugarcane.

一望無際的甘蔗田之河。

These are the same fields that are responsible

這也意味著在同樣 這片土地和流域中，

for dumping exceedingly high levels of fertilizers into the watershed,

施用了極為過量的肥料，

forever changing the system.

且永遠改變了這裡的生態系統。

But in order for you to not just understand how this system works,

為了讓你們不僅僅是了解 這一系統如何運作，

but to also get personally connected to it,

同樣能與它產生更切身的聯繫，

I decided to break the story down into several different narratives.

我決定把故事打亂 放進幾段不同的故事中。

And I wanted that story to start in Lake Okeechobee,

我想從奧科喬湖比開始我們的故事，

the beating heart of the Everglade system.

它是大沼澤地生態系統裡 跳動的心臟。

And to do that, I picked an ambassador,

為了這樣做，我挑選了一個親善大使，

an iconic species.

一種標誌性的生物。

This is the Everglade snail kite.

牠是大沼澤地食螺鳶。

It's a great bird,

一種非常漂亮的鳥，

and they used to nest in the thousands,

牠們以前的數量成千上萬，

thousands in the northern Everglades.

在沼澤地的北方。

And then they've gone down to about 400 nesting pairs today.

可現在牠們的數量 已經下降到大約400對左右。

And why is that?

為什麼會這樣？

Well, it's because they eat one source of food, an apple snail,

因為牠們食物單一，只吃蘋果螺，

about the size of a ping-pong ball, an aquatic gastropod.

一種大小如乒乓球的水生腹足動物。

So as we started damming up the Everglades,

所以當我們開始排乾大沼澤地時，

as we started diking Lake Okeechobee and draining the wetlands,

當我們疏導奧科喬比湖 並排乾濕地時，

we lost the habitat for the snail.

我們毀掉了螺類的棲息地。

And thus, the population of the kites declined.

因此，食螺鳶的數量隨之下降。

And so, I wanted a photo that would not only communicate this relationship

因此，我想要拍的照片 不僅僅是表達這種

between wetland, snail and bird,

濕地、螺類與鳥類的關係，

but I also wanted a photo that would communicate

而且我還希望照片中能表達

how incredible this relationship was,

這種關係的不可思議性，

and how very important it is that they've come to depend on each other,

和牠們之間的相互依存性，

對於健康的濕地和鳥類來說 是多麼重要。

this healthy wetland and this bird.

And to do that, I brainstormed this idea.

為此，我想到了這個辦法。

I started sketching out these plans to make a photo,

我開始起草了這個拍攝計劃，

and I sent it to the wildlife biologist down in Okeechobee --

並把它傳給一名 在奧基喬比野生生物學家，

this is an endangered bird, so it takes special permission to do.

這是一種瀕臨滅亡的鳥類 所有需要特別許可才行。

So I built this submerged platform

所有我製造了一個沉在水中的平台

that would hold snails just right under the water.

這樣就會把蘋果螺固定到水下。

And I spent months planning this crazy idea.

我花了幾個月的時間 去籌備這個瘋狂的計劃。

And I took this platform down to Lake Okeechobee

我把這個平台放入奧科喬比湖，

and I spent over a week in the water,

並在水裡待了一個多星期，

wading waist-deep, 9-hour shifts from dawn until dusk,

水深及腰，從拂曉到黃昏 九個小時的移動，

to get one image that I thought might communicate this.

只為拍下一張能表達 我的構想的照片。

And here's the day that it finally worked:

這是我最終得償所願的那天。

[Video: (Mac Stone narrating) After setting up the platform,

影片：（史東旁白） 「平台佈置好後，

I look off and I see a kite coming over the cattails.

我注視著它， 然後我看到有一隻鳶飛過香蒲。

And I see him scanning and searching.

牠一直在掃視和搜尋著。

And he gets right over the trap,

當牠越過這個陷阱後，

and I see that he's seen it.

我看到牠有所察覺。

And he beelines, he goes straight for the trap.

然後牠直奔陷阱而去。

And in that moment, all those months of planning, waiting,

在那一刻，這數月來的籌劃、等待，

all the sunburn, mosquito bites --

以及所有的曬傷和蚊蟲叮咬，

suddenly, they're all worth it.

瞬間，都值得了。」

(Mac Stone in film) Oh my gosh, I can't believe it!]

（史東在影片中說道：） 「天啊，我簡直不敢相信！」

You can believe how excited I was when that happened.

你們可以想像當時的我有多麼激動。

But what the idea was,

但是這個計劃是針對那些

is that for someone who's never seen this bird

從未見過這種鳥、

and has no reason to care about it,

也沒有任何理由去關心這種鳥的人，

these photos, these new perspectives,

這些照片、這些新的認知，

will help shed a little new light on just one species

將提供一個新的視角， 單單一個物種

that makes this watershed so incredible, so valuable, so important.

就讓這片流域變得如此不可思議， 如此珍貴和重要。

Now, I know I can't come here to Gainesville

我知道，我不能來到蓋文斯維爾，

and talk to you about animals in the Everglades

跟大家談大沼澤地裡的野生動物時，

without talking about gators.

卻沒提到短吻鱷。

I love gators, I grew up loving gators.

我愛短吻鱷，從小到大一直都愛著。

My parents always said I had an unhealthy relationship with gators.

我的父母常說 我和短吻鱷有不正常的關係。

But what I like about them is,

但我喜歡牠們的原因是，

they're like the freshwater equivalent of sharks.

牠們和鯊魚一樣喜愛淡水。

They're feared, they're hated,

人們恐懼牠、厭惡牠，

and they are tragically misunderstood.

牠們一直悲慘地被誤解。

Because these are a unique species, they're not just apex predators.

因為牠們是一種獨特的生物， 而不僅僅是頂尖的獵食者。

In the Everglades,

在大沼澤地，

they are the very architects of the Everglades,

牠們是大沼澤地出色的建築師，

because as the water drops down in the winter

因為當冬季水位下降，

during the dry season,

進入枯水期，

they start excavating these holes called gator holes.

牠們開始挖掘短吻鱷洞穴。

And they do this because as the water drops down,

牠們這樣做的原因是 當水位下降，

they'll be able to stay wet and they'll be able to forage.

我們依然可以保持潮濕 而且牠們可以覓食。

And now this isn't just affecting them,

當然，這不止造福牠們，

other animals also depend on this relationship,

其他的動物也依賴這種關係，

so they become a keystone species as well.

所以牠們成了一種關鍵性的生物。

So how do you make an apex predator, an ancient reptile,

所以這些頂尖獵食者、 古老的爬行生物，

at once look like it dominates the system,

乍看之下，好像主宰著這一生態系統，

but at the same time, look vulnerable?

但同時，要怎麼讓牠們 看起來也是弱勢的一群？

Well, you wade into a pit of about 120 of them,

好吧，不然你進去一個 有120隻短吻鱷的坑試試，

then you hope that you've made the right decision.

之後你會希望自己做出了正確的決定。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I still have all my fingers, it's cool.

我的手指都還在，這很酷。

But I understand, I know I'm not going to rally you guys,

但我知道，我並沒要慫恿你們，

I'm not going to rally the troops to "Save the Everglades for the gators!"

我不是在對你們宣揚說： 「為了短吻鱷去拯救大沼澤地吧！」

It won't happen because they're so ubiquitous,

這不可能發生， 因為牠們活得很好，

we see them now,

現在我們到處都可以看見牠們，

they're one of the great conservation success stories of the US.

牠們是美國環境保護的成功典範。

But there is one species in the Everglades that no matter who you are,

但大沼澤地裡有一種生物 無論你是誰，

都不禁會關愛牠，那就是玫瑰琵鷺。

you can't help but love, too, and that's the roseate spoonbill.

These birds are great, but they've had a really tough time in the Everglades,

這種鳥極其美麗，但是牠們 在大沼澤的生存卻極其艱難，

because they started out with thousands of nesting pairs in Florida Bay,

因為牠們最初在佛羅里達灣 有數以千計的數量，

and at the turn of the 20th century,

但到了20世紀，

they got down to two -- two nesting pairs.

卻僅剩二——兩對。

And why?

為什麼？

That's because women thought they looked better on their hats

因為女人認為這種鳥 在她們帽子上

then they did flying in the sky.

比飛在天上更好看。

Then we banned the plume trade,

於是我們禁止了羽毛裝飾，

and their numbers started rebounding.

所以牠們的數量開始回升。

And as their numbers started rebounding,

當牠們的數量開始回升後，

scientists began to pay attention,

科學家開始注意到這種鳥類，

they started studying these birds.

他們開始研究。

And what they found out is that

他們的研究發現，

these birds' behavior is intrinsically tied

這些鳥的行為，

to the annual draw-down cycle of water in the Everglades,

本質上與大沼澤地每年水位下降，

the thing that defines the Everglades watershed.

及流域一切的循環週期息息相關，

What they found out is that

他們發現，

these birds started nesting in the winter as the water drew down,

這種鳥在冬天水位下降時開始築巢，

because they're tactile feeders, so they have to touch whatever they eat.

因為牠們是感知型的進食動物， 所以牠們必須觸碰食物。

And so they wait for these concentrated pools of fish

所以牠們會等待這些濃縮後的魚池，

to be able to feed enough to feed their young.

這樣牠們才有足夠的食物哺育雛鳥。

So these birds became the very icon of the Everglades --

所以這種鳥成了大沼澤地的象徵——

an indicator species of the overall health of the system.

一種顯示著整個生態系統 是否健康的風向指標性生物。

And just as their numbers were rebounding in the mid-20th century --

牠們數量一直回升到二十世紀中葉——

shooting up to 900, 1,000, 1,100, 1,200 --

數量上升到 900、 1000、1100、1200，

just as that started happening, we started draining the southern Everglades.

數量開始回升的時候， 我們開始排乾南部的大沼澤地。

And we stopped two-thirds of that water from moving south.

我們阻斷了三分之二 流向北部的水。

And it had drastic consequences.

而這造成了巨大的影響。

And just as those numbers started reaching their peak,

就當這種鳥的數量達到頂峰時，

unfortunately, today, the real spoonbill story,

非常不幸的是，今天， 真實的玫瑰琵鷺，

the real photo of what it looks like is more something like this.

真正關於牠們生存現狀的照片 卻是這樣的。

今天佛羅里達灣僅有不到70對琵鷺，

And we're down to less than 70 nesting pairs in Florida Bay today,

because we've disrupted the system so much.

因為我們將這一生態系統破壞殆盡。

So all these different organizations are shouting, they're screaming,

所以所有的環保組織 都在吶喊，都在高呼：

"The Everglades is fragile! It's fragile!"

「大沼澤地岌岌可危！岌岌可危！」

It is not.

並不是的，

It is resilient.

它是可以恢復的。

Because despite all we've taken, despite all we've done and we've drained

因為無論我們掠奪多少， 無論我們對它做過什麼，

and we've dammed and we've dredged it,

無論我們排乾、築珼或是挖掘，

pieces of it are still here, waiting to be put back together.

那些殘留仍然在這， 等待我們將其復原。

And this is what I've loved about South Florida,

這就是我熱愛南佛羅里達的原因。

that in one place, you have this unstoppable force of mankind

在這，人們有著無法阻擋的魄力，

meeting the immovable object of tropical nature.

去接觸那些熱情自然裡 無法撼動的事物。

And it's at this new frontier that we are forced with a new appraisal.

在這片新的疆域 我們被迫重新審視。

What is wilderness worth?

荒野有什麼價值？

What is the value of biodiversity, or our drinking water?

生物多樣性和飲用水的價值是什麼？

幸運的是，經過數十年思考。

And fortunately, after decades of debate,

we're finally starting to act on those questions.

我們終於開始踐行這些問題。

We're slowly undertaking these projects

我們開逐漸實行這些計劃

to bring more freshwater back to the bay.

將更多的淡水注入海灣。

But it's up to us as citizens, as residents, as stewards

但這取決於我們， 作為公民，作為居民，作為管理者，

to hold our elected officials to their promises.

去監督我們選出的官員 能履行他們的承諾。

你能幫什麼呢？

What can you do to help?

It's so easy.

非常簡單。

Just get outside, get out there.

只要走出去，走出戶外。

Take your friends out, take your kids out,

帶著你朋友，帶著你的孩子，

take your family out.

帶上你的家人一起走出去。

Hire a fishing guide.

雇一個釣魚顧問。

Show the state that protecting wilderness

讓政府看到保護荒野

not only makes ecological sense, but economic sense as well.

不僅僅是生態上合理， 在經濟上也合理。

It's a lot of fun, just do it -- put your feet in the water.

那很有趣，做就對了， 把你的腳伸入水中吧！

The swamp will change you, I promise.

我保證，沼澤會改變你的。

Over the years, we've been so generous

過去的這些年，

with these other landscapes around the country,

我們對國內的其它風景如此慷慨，

cloaking them with this American pride,

將它們擁簇成美國之光，

places that we now consider to define us:

那些代表美國的地方：

Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone.

大峽谷、優勝美地國家公園、 黃石公園。

And we use these parks and these natural areas

我用這些國家公園和自然區域

as beacons and as cultural compasses.

作為美國的燈塔和文化指南。

可悲的是，大沼澤地

And sadly, the Everglades is very commonly

left out of that conversation.

常常被人們所遺忘。

But I believe it's every bit as iconic and emblematic

但我相信它至少是一種經典和象徵，

of who we are as a country

象徵著我們整個國家，

as any of these other wildernesses.

也像其它的荒野一樣。

It's just a different kind of wild.

只不過是另一種與眾不同的荒野。

但是我很欣慰，

But I'm encouraged,

because maybe we're finally starting to come around,

因為或許我們終於明白，

because what was once deemed this swampy wasteland,

因為那個曾被人視為沼澤的濕地，

today is a World Heritage site.

今天已經成了世界自然遺產。

It's a wetland of international importance.

它是世界級重要的濕地。

And we've come a long way in the last 60 years.

過去的六十年我們有所進展。

And as the world's largest and most ambitious wetland restoration project,

作為世界上最龐大 且最富雄心的濕地復原計劃，

the international spotlight is on us in the Sunshine State.

全世界的目光 都聚焦在我們陽光之州。

Because if we can heal this system,

因為如果我們能修復這個生態系統，

it's going to become an icon for wetland restoration

它將成為一個全球性的

all over the world.

濕地修復典範。

But it's up to us to decide which legacy we want to attach our flag to.

但這一切都取決於哪一項遺產 是我們想要印入旗幟的。

They say that the Everglades is our greatest test.

他們說保護大沼澤地 是我們最偉大的考驗。

If we pass it, we get to keep the planet.

如果我們通過了， 我們就是在保護地球。

I love that quote,

我喜歡這段話，

because it's a challenge, it's a prod.

因為這是一項挑戰，是一種激勵。

Can we do it? Will we do it?

我們能做到嗎？我們願意去做嗎？

We have to, we must.

我們必須這樣。

But the Everglades is not just a test.

因為大沼澤地並非只是一次考驗。

It's also a gift,

它也是一件禮物，

and ultimately, our responsibility.

而最終，是你我的義務。

Thank you.

謝謝大家。

(Applause)

（掌聲）