Cuban experts to show results of conservation of protected areas

Cuban specialists will present today in this city their management and conservation experiences in the 9th Congress on Protected Areas, one of the events of the 10th International Convention on Environment and Development.

The experts are from the National Center for Protected Areas (CNAP by its Spanish acronym) and will refer to planning, management and monitoring of species, habitats, ecosystems and communities, Dr. Maritza García García, director of the institution, said.

She added that they will also talk about issues related to financial sustainability, tourism and public use of the listed areas, totaling 211 in the country, including those of the island sea shelf up to 200 meters deep.

Just a few years ago there were 253 areas, but in the period up to 2020 they should be reduced to 211 after conducting research on the unification of their effective management, according to professionals.

Compared with other Latin American and Caribbean countries, the Cuban indicator for protected areas is considerable and there are institutions and agencies involved in their management and operation such as the National Enterprise for the Protection of Flora and Fauna, the Ranger Corps, the State Forestry Service and the Center for Environmental Inspection and Control.