Cuba: Camagüey, Sierra de Cubitas - The Field Museum

THREATS
What threats oppose our vision of conservation in the Sierra de Cubitas? How do
the largest threats affect the regional landscape? How do various threats, small
and large, affect specific conservation targets? Although a detailed analysis is
beyond the scope of this report, the following list can serve as a starting point
for future analyses.
There are seven current threats and three potential threats.
01 The small size of Reserva Ecológica Limones-Tuabaquey (2,280 ha) and
Reserva Natural Hoyo de Bonet (2 ha) in relation to the large expanse of
forest in the Sierra de Cubitas (approximately 40,000 ha) implies that large
areas (in which many rare, endemic, and/or threatened species live) are not
protected and are vulnerable to human activities not compatible with
conservation. The area covered by these reserves is very small in view of the
diversity of ecosystems in the Sierra and savanna. Birds, for example, often
have dynamic populations in the area that move outside of the reserves
for feeding, nesting, and other activities.
02 The savanna is not protected adequately. The large expanse of savanna
immediately south of the Sierra harbors many endemic plants that have
adapted to its toxic serpentine soils. Although the Área Protegida de Recursos
Manejados Escarpa y Humedales de San Felipe has been proposed (Fig. 2A),
it is not formally approved at a national level and it is a small area (2,780
ha). Without formal protection and a management plan for the large savanna,
it will be very difficult to protect the species of plants, invertebrates,
amphibians, reptiles, and birds that live there.
03 Aggressive, non-native species of plants. Over time, the introduction of
certain exotic plants to Cuba has caused the local extirpation of some native
plants and animals, and changes in behavior or migrations by others. This threat
includes uplands of the Sierra as well as the extensive plains. One particularly
grave threat is the expansion of marabu (Dichrostachys cinerea), an extremely
aggressive exotic, into the lowland plains at the base of the Sierra.
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