Cuba: Camagüey, Sierra de Cubitas - The Field Museum

RECOMMENDATIONS
RECOMENDACIONES
The rapid inventory gave us an opportunity to combine an ecological context (generated both from our field
work and from previous studies) with an identification of conservation targets, and threats to their survival,
in the Sierra de Cubitas and the adjacent southern plains. We suggest that national and regional agencies can
strengthen and extend existing conservation efforts through protection and management, research, further
inventory, ecological surveillance, education and training, and collaboration with local communities as follows:
Protection and
management
78 RAPID BIOLOGICAL INVENTORIES INFORME/REPORT NO. 08
01 Officially approve Reserva Ecológica Limones-Tuabaquey, 22.8 km2 in size,
at the federal level (Fig. 2A).
02 Expand the area managed for native biodiversity. Federal ownership of the
land, combined with a sparse human population in the area, can facilitate
an expansion of the proposed limits of Reserva Ecológica Limones-Tuabaquey
and the Área Protegida de Recursos Manejados Escarpa y Humedales de
San Felipe (Fig. 2A). Other types of conservation management also can be
used outside of the boundaries of these two reserves, with the overall goal
of connecting the two reserves to make a much larger conservation area
that protects a significant portion of the Sierra and the adjacent savanna.
To accomplish this, work through the normal legal processes governing
protected areas, together with all parties interested in the natural resources
of the Sierra and southern savanna.
One important advantage of designating a large area for conservation
planning is that, in contrast to small areas such as the two reserves proposed
above, one can better provide for the requirements of species that with
dynamic populations (e.g., some birds) or those that benefit from multiple
subpopulations (e.g., some mollusks, reptiles, and amphibians).
03 Develop means to effectively control populations of exotic species, e.g., feral
dogs and pigs in woodlands and Dichrostachys cinerea in the savanna.
04 Increase the number of forest rangers, and develop training programs that will
increase the level of expertise of guards and other personnel so that they can
effectively regulate exploitation of natural resources in conservation areas. There
now exists a severe deficit in the number of forest rangers (guardabosques),
which decreases protection of the area. With additional resources and training,
the rangers can reduce furtive wood harvest and hunting of birds and mammals,
keep cattle and goats out, and monitor the occurrence of fires and tourism
not compatible with regional conservation goals.