This February 2 marks another International Wetlands Day, a topic of utmost importance in the Cuban archipelago that has the great swamps of Zapata, largest in the insular Caribbean, south of the province of Matanzas, that of Lanier, in the Isle of Youth and Biramas, in eastern Cuba, famous as splendid natural ecosystems for their riches and for being breeding grounds for the famous Rhombifer (Cuban) and Acutus or American crocodiles.
The flow of Cuban wetlands is enriched by large areas of lagoon and aquifer reservoirs on the Isle of Youth, near the Máximo River, in Camagüey, Buenavista (Villa Clara), north of Ciego de Ávila and also in the plains of the quartzite sands of the western province of Pinar del Río.Serious work has put Cuban science at the service of wetlands for more than 20 years, which has made systematic dating possible based on field studies. This made it possible to create a classification system that conceived four basic categories of inland wetlands: shallow seasonal lagoon, shallow semi-seasonal lagoon, semi-seasonal lagoons with inland lagoons and permanent lagoons.
The comprehensive nature of the research, governed fundamentally by the Institute of Hydraulic Resources, ensures working together on science and the social and economic impact of these famous ecosystems, linked to the life and development of a country in its most comprehensive conception. In the nation, the various factors involved in the study, from technical scientists to communal, governmental authorities and residents, are making an effort to coordinate joint and comprehensive projects for the conservation of its aquifers and swamps, of great biological wealth, although not free of problems and difficulties to overcome.
There is no doubt that these emporiums are conservation areas for numerous species, not only plants, but also animals, and are currently subject to overexploitation, with many anthropogenic threats. As in other similar regions of the world, excessive human predatory activity is an existing danger that must be avoided today, whether intentional or not.
There are threats to the survival of ecosystems, and the extinction of important and representative species that identify the natural heritage and biodiversity of the province. Although the most difficult part of such projects is the effort to carry them out with specific protection and conservation actions, this is being done, not always with the desired speed. These are difficult times for a country with a besieged economy and lacking the necessary financial resources, but which at the same time receives the cooperation and assistance of related entities of the UN and friends from around the world.
And there is no doubt, the beautiful activity of care and preservation of wetlands, which are also sites of tourist charm, is a reality in the largest of the Antilles.