Wetlands cover nine
percent of Cuba
Wetlands in Cuba cover an area of
approximately 10,410 square kilometers, equal to
9.3% of the islands total surface and include swampy
areas along the coastline and in the interior.
The
wetlands of Ciénaga de Zapata, in Matanzas, are the
largest and most exceptional in Cuba and the
Caribbean.
These ecosystems are known for their
fragility and vulnerability, although they provide
ecological and economic benefits, among them habitat
protection and the reduction of costal erosion.
They also play a vital part in the
capture of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere,
purification of effluents, limiting the impact of
extreme weather on infrastructure and supplying
water for consumption and economic activities.
Furthermore, they contribute to
replenishing subterranean water supplies and
collecting rain in urban and rural zones; in
addition to controlling floods and stabilizing the
coastline; as well as forming barriers between land
and sea phenomenon.
Ciénaga de
Zapata is home to crocodiles and numerous species of
Cuban flora and fauna.
According to information from the
Environment Agency on the entity’s website, Cuban
wetlands are an inseparable part of the country’s
biological wealth and diversity, adding that they
include vast landscapes featuring estuaries, open
coasts, marshes, floodplains, scrublands and forests,
lakes, canals and rivers.
Artificially created wetlands can
function in either a positive or negative way, in
accordance with the nature of the biological assets
affected.
The
Sabana Camagüey ecosystem is populated with
flamingos.
Among the most prominent in Cuba are
the Ciénaga de Zapata, Birama (including the River
Cauto delta), Lanier, Cunagua, Pinar del Río’s
southeastern lakeside system and the Colorados
islets; Sabana Camagüey; Jardines de la Reina; and
the Canarreos.
The wetlands of Ciénaga de Zapata,
in Matanzas, are the largest and most exceptional in
Cuba and the Caribbean, meriting their inclusion in
the Convention on Wetlands of
International Importance especially noted on the
Waterfowl Habitat List.
Ramsar is the name of the city in
Iran where this Convention was signed on February 2,
1971. Provisions went into effect December 21, 1975.
(AIN)
