|
Cuban rice fields: alternative
habitat for some 100 species of birds
Researchers from the Faculty of
Biology at the University of Havana publish a book
which brings together 25 years of studies into these
animals.
BY LILLIAM RIERA
—Granma International staff writer—
ALMOST 100 species of aquatic birds use the island’s
rice fields as an alternative habitat in the face of
a reduction and degradation of natural wetlands.
Authors of the research. From
left to right, Antonio Rodríguez; el Doctor
Dennis Denis; Dr. Lourdes Mugica; Ariam
Jiménez y Dr. Martín Acosta.
|
The
wetlands, (which include marshland and swamps, both
coastal and inland), are extremely fragile and
vulnerable ecosystems which provide valuable
services to mankind: protection against hurricanes,
water storage, flood control and which are home to a
significant biological diversity.
A
group of researchers from the Faculty of Biology at
the University of Havana (UH), led by Dr. Lourdes
Mugica, has just launched a beautiful book entitled
Aves acuáticas en los humedales de Cuba (Aquatic
birds in the wetlands of Cuba), which brings
together 25 years of studies into these animals.
The
text emphasizes how rice fields have been
transformed into important sites in terms of food,
nest-building and homes for these birds which, at
the same time, benefit this crop by eating a large
amount of potential menaces: unwanted invertebrates
and plants.
These include the heron, the glossy ibis, the
fulvous whistling-duck, the black-necked stilt, the
least sandpiper, the mourning dove, as well of 13
out of 25 species of ducks registered on the island.
Some are migratory birds that fly to Cuba from North
America, such as Florida duck, the Northern pintail
duck and the Northern shoveler.
The
200-page book has a popular scientific slant and has
been written in an entertaining style, given that
the aim is for it to be understood by all sectors of
the population.
“From the start, this is a book “to fall in love
with” for its presentation – I would go as far as to
say that it is unique – and a fascinating content.
(…) I would particularly like to highlight the fact
that the book contains no “recycled” information.
Apart from some general and basic details, the rest
of the information is the original work of the
authors, demonstrating the enormous effort and the
years they have devoted to this research, as well as
the depth of their knowledge and experience. It
would be a difficult task for other people to
emulate this work,” stated Montserrat Carbonell,
director of the Latin American and Caribbean program
at Ducks Unlimited, an organization dedicated to the
conservation of duck populations and their habitats,
in a letter to the authors, dated September 24, 2006
in Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
To
this and other missives, some even sent by people
who have little knowledge on the subject but who
have read and enjoyed the book, can be added
Granma International thanks to the kindness of
Dr. Lourdes Mugica.
The
book contains 291 photos (86% of them original and
taken by the authors themselves), 120 illustrations
(thanks to the kindness of Herbert Rafaelle, who
gave permission to use his drawings from the
Birds of the West Indies guidebook), 48 figures
of a scientific nature to facilitate understanding
of the text, 20 original paintings by two Cuban
artists, Nils Navarro and Rolando Rodríguez, as well
as a fold-out guide at the end and tables containing
the results of the research.
Dr.
Mugica explained that a donation by the British
NGOs, the Whitley Fund for Nature, Birdlife
International and the British Birdwatching Fair
allowed them to publish 1,500 copies and improve the
quality of presentation.
Likewise, 240 copies of the book have been
distributed, free of charge, by the
Científico-Técnica publishers to all the libraries
in Cuba; another 100 have been presented to
institutions attached to the Ministry of Science,
Technology and the Environment, museums,
organizations linked to the protection of flora,
fauna and the environment. The book will also be
used for training purposes for professionals working
in this sphere.
The
professor recalled that the publication of the book
has fulfilled the final objective of the project
“Rice fields and wetlands as units of conservation
for aquatic birds in Cuba”.
This
three-year project involved research into and the
monitoring of birds linked to the rice fields in Los
Palacios in Pinar del Rio and Sur del Jíbaro in
Sancti Spíritus (around 100 hundred species use
these areas as a substitute for natural wetlands),
as well as the Ciénaga de Birama in Granma, the
second largest wetland in Cuba and the Caribbean,
covering some 57,048 hectares.
The
study has allowed the three zones to be classified
by Birdlife International as Important Bird Areas
(IBAs).
The
project also gave rise to the creation of the
group’s Guía de las Aves Comunes en los Humedales
de Cuba (Guide to Common Birds in the Wetlands
of Cuba), the first of its kind to be in written in
Cuba and in Spanish. Already 800 copies have been
distributed to schools, libraries and protected
areas.
It
has also led to the development of two environmental
education campaigns in rice-growing areas (La
Sierpe, in Sancti Spíritus, and Los Palacios, in
Pinar del Río), in which 8,000 people are taking
part.
Wetlands International, a worldwide non-profit
making organization dedicated to the conservation
and sustainable use of wetland areas, joined the
other three aforementioned NGOs in providing
finances for these campaigns.
A
SECOND AWARD FROM THE WHITLEY FUND FOR NATURE
Dr.
Mugica informed GI that in June 2005, and
taking into account the results obtained by the
recently-concluded project, the Whitley Fund for
Nature has awarded the group a second prize worth
£30,000 that came into effect this year and will
allow the group to continue the work they have
started by studying bird communities inhabiting
other Cuban wetlands and carry on with its
environmental education work.
The
new project will focus on three other wetlands: the
marshlands in Zapata in the province of Matanzas -
the largest of its kind in the Caribbean, at 452,000
hectares – that of Río Máximo, in Camagüey, and
Picúas Cayo Cristo, north of Villa Clara.
According to the professor, they are intending to
hold training workshops and environmental education
campaigns that will culminate in the publication of
another book of this kind.
|
