The South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Initiative is a complex, long-term effort to restore the South Florida ecosystem including the Everglades that involves federal, state, local, and tribal entities, as well as public and private interests. In response to growing signs of the ecosystem's deterioration, federal agencies established the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force in 1993 to coordinate ongoing federal activities. The Water Resources Development Act of 1996 formalized the Task Force; designated the Secretary of the Interior as its Chair; and expanded its membership to include state, local, and tribal representatives. The Task Force is charged with coordinating and facilitating the overall restoration effort. Restoring the ecosystem, which covers 18,000 square miles, or about 11.5 million acres, could take up to 50 years and will require the continuous effort and commitment of all the agencies involved.