Designated in 1976, this UNESCO biosphere reserve in Florida and the Gulf of Mexico unites Everglades and Dry Tortugas national parks across 636,411 hectares. It includes seven Dry Tortugas islands and Fort Jefferson and spans freshwater glades, mangroves, estuaries, cypress swamps, marine waters, and coral reefs shaped by the meeting of tropical and subtropical America. The productive transition from fresh to salt water supports valuable crustacean nurseries, while southern Florida’s vegetation is distinctive within the United States. About 200 archaeological sites, Miccosukee lands within Everglades National Park, major museum and archive collections, and longstanding scientific research add cultural and scholarly importance to this heavily visited conservation landscape.