Launch Catch-Up — Review Released October 22, 2026
Everglades restoration is advancing more quickly, but agencies need stronger methods for measuring success and separating project effects from other environmental changes, a National Academies review says.
The October 22 report examines progress under the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. It is the 11th biennial review in the series.
The committee credits record funding and better federal-state coordination with faster implementation. It cautions that continued momentum depends on staffing and sustained funding.
The report says current assessments do not consistently distinguish changes caused by restoration from influences such as weather variability. It recommends improved monitoring, modeling and analysis to determine whether interim goals are being met and where management needs to change.
The committee also says historical ecosystem conditions cannot simply be recreated given land-use changes and flood-control requirements. It calls for clearer goals that account for those constraints and changing conditions.
These are the review committee’s findings and recommendations. The report does not declare restoration complete, and faster construction alone does not establish that every ecological objective has been achieved.
Sources: National Academies — October 22 review announcement: https://www.nationalacademies.org/news/as-everglades-restoration-projects-advance-defining-success-and-assessing-outcomes-require-new-approaches-says-national-academies-review