William Fernández

HAVANA.— In the coastal area of the southern provinces of Artemisa and Mayabeque a project for local development has been implemented, in order to protect marine ecosystems, primarily mangroves, which are seriously affected by climate change.

These plants are a containment barrier that protects the hinterland from storm surges, coastal currents, high winds, erosion caused by waves, rising sea levels, and depletion and salinization of drinking water.

Sheyla Chang, a member of the National Risk Assessment Group of the Environment Agency and director of the initiative, which receives financial support from the United Nations Program for Development (UNDP), told AIN that they hope to restore forests along the inner edge of the belt of coastal wetlands between the towns of Majana and Punta Mora.

She noted that the program also includes the control and eradication of invasive alien species. The project will work closely with the forest brigades, who will receive training from scientific institutions regarding the restoration of mangrove swamps.

Claudio Tomasi, Assistant Representative of the UNDP in Cuba, told the National News Agency that the project for climate change mitigation forms part of the collaboration agreements which have implemented in the island until 2018.