The municipality of San Antonio del Sur presents irregular relief. To the north there is a predominance of mountain areas where heavy rain prevails; the south shows a desert landscape, low rainfall throughout the year, so it ranks among the driest areas of Cuba.
The municipality of San Antonio del Sur presents irregular relief. To the north there is a predominance of mountain areas where heavy rain prevails; the south shows a desert landscape, low rainfall throughout the year, so it ranks among the driest areas of Cuba.
There, where temperatures rise over 30 degree Celsius, the Ecological Reserve of Baitiquirí is, marked by the presence of endemic and migratory birds of great national and international interest.
This ecosystem is home to representative species of flora and fauna, and it is considered an important site for bird conservation in Cuba, however, the habitat is affected by human intervention that is why the project Tri-national Caribbean Biological Corridor (CBC) is implemented from 2013 to recover the area and improve the quality of life of residents.
Implementation of the Project ...
The semi-desert area of Ecological Reserve of Baitiquirí has 68 species of arachnid, 57 of molluscs and 111 of birds, some are threaten, aggravated by the poaching of local residents, said Sandra Chapman Stable, general coordinator of the project in Guantanamo.
"Indiscriminate chopping down of trees for cooking and the burning of organic waste that polluted the environment seriously affects the area.The people were unaware of the importance of the high diversity of ecosystems in that place, and the presence of endemic and migratory birds. For these reasons, in the Book the Tri-national project is implemented," Chapman Stable said.
The program is composed of three countries: Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba, whose cooperation can protect biodiversity in the Caribbean region.
The first actions of the project in Baitiquirí began two years ago and now it is carried by the Caribbean Biological Corridor Center, a branch of the Center of Technological Applications for Sustainable Development in Guantanamo (Catedes, in Spanish), an institution that belongs to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (CITMA, in Spanish).
Even more, the plan enables rehabilitation of Baitiquirí environment, improves the quality of life for residents in terms of providing employment, reforms in the community and knowledge generation in favor of care for the protected area.
According to Chapman Stable, in its first stage, the main thing to do was to identify the natural values of the Ecological Reserve of Baitiquirí by monitoring and recording individual marine and terrestrial species, and also to address people's skills in areas of technology, in view of better conservation and development of the southern coastal zone.
Translation: Liubis Balart Martínez