Cuba: Camagüey, Sierra de Cubitas - The Field Museum

Threats (continued)
76 RAPID BIOLOGICAL INVENTORIES INFORME/REPORT NO. 08
04 Feral animals. Escaped domestic animals, such as dogs and pigs, have
significantly negative effects on populations of native species, especially
birds and mammals.
05 Furtive hunting of birds and mammals has reduced populations of some
native species or has encouraged migration to other areas that are better
protected (but which are not extensive or common).
06 Grazing on the poor, toxic soils of the savanna. Although cattle grazing is a
valid use on some areas within the plains, evidence from studies elsewhere
suggests that grazing can severely reduce or eliminate populations of rare
plants and animals that have adapted to the serpentine savannas. At present,
there are no areas in the savanna that are protected from grazing.
07 Certain forest practices that are incompatible with the conservation
of native species. Within the Sierra de Cubitas trees are cut for firewood,
construction, and agricultural use. Cutting has been most prevalent on the
north flank of the Sierra, where slopes are more gradual. Where the forests
are degraded by these practices, habitats for native animals are altered.
08 Uncontrolled tourism is a potential threat to sensitive areas in the Sierra,
if tourism expands considerably in the future. Tourists visit areas and sites
that retain important natural and historical-cultural features, such as
subterranean caverns, sinkholes, canyons, and highland outcrops. Tourism
brings the opening of paths, collection of plants and pieces of rock formation,
writing on rock walls and deterioration of indigenous art, trash, bonfires,
and the forcing of natural events like rockslides and the collapse of
karst structures.
09 Changes in the frequency of fires is the second potential threat in the area.
Fires affect certain localities within the Sierra. Intentional or accidental
fires originating from humans can cause biotic and abiotic changes that
degrade habitats. On the other hand, it is likely that some of the species of
the adjacent savanna are fire-adapted (as long as fires are not too frequent