Couple's swamp purchase saves endangered bird species in Florida

Jim Stevenson and Tara Tanaka, a couple with a shared passion for environmental protection, purchased 16 hectares of swampland in Florida in 2007. Their goal was to safeguard the natural landscape from real estate speculation and development.

Stevenson, who retired as Florida's chief administrator of public lands, and Tanaka, a former cave diver, established a private ecological reserve on the property. This sanctuary is crucial for a unique bird species found in the country, as well as other native reptiles, plants, and small mammals.

The couple's commitment to conservation stems from a deep respect for the environment, which Stevenson describes as an "earth ethic." They believe in extending moral responsibility to the natural world, encompassing soil, water, plants, and animals. Their efforts aim to preserve habitats from threats like dredging, hunting, and waste accumulation, which endanger the delicate ecosystem.

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the earth ethic, according to which one must treat the soil, water, plants, and animals with the same moral responsibility that we have towards human beings, simply by expanding the boundaries of the community