Cuba Preserves Biodiversity in Peninsula, Biosphere Reserve

Pinar del Río, Cuba, Oct 12. -Scientists and residents of the Cuban peninsula of Guanahacabibes join forces to protect the biodiversity of the area, where three species of sea turtles nest.The programs, to protect threatened creatures and their environment, involve people from five surrounding communities who help to eradicate poaching and predative actions against the turtles, said Osmani Borrego, specialist of the National Park based in the peninsula, to Prensa Latina.

Borrego said the locals attend the monitoring of these reptiles during the spawning period, when they arrive on the shores of the western peninsula to make their nests.

The conservation experience led by researchers and students also includes caring for the eggs until hatching.

Referring to the effectiveness of environmental education efforts, Borrego recalled that formerly there were frequent killings of those creatures, which have been almost entirely eradicated.

The bird festival, held every April, is also a successful initiative to raise awareness of the richness of birds in the peninsula, home to more than 100 varieties of Cuban and exotic birds, insisted Borrego. (Prensa Latina)