Washington  - In one of the country's largest efforts to reclaim ecology, the state of Florida Tuesday launched negotiations to buy US Sugar Corporation, the country's biggest producer of cane sugar.

Under the terms of the agreement, the state would pay 1.7 billion dollars for the sugar company and its vast holdings south of Lake Okeechobee to the Everglades, according to US officials and media reports.

The company would continue cultivating sugar for several years before closing down for good.

The unique marshes and forests on Florida's southern tip, rich in reptile and bird life, have been declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO, but are under huge pressure from urban encroachment, agricultural fertilizer and sea level change.

Groups like the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have mounted a campaign to restore the "endangered" label to the Everglades at the upcoming UNESCO meeting in Canada starting next week. (dpa)