GUANTÁNAMO.—Experts from the provincial branch of Cuba’s Flora and Fauna Protection Enterprise are currently undertaking conservation measures in El Yunque de Baracoa, (the Anvil of Baracoa) mountain area, one of the most emblematic peaks in the country, declared a National Monument in 1979 for its natural, scenic, historical and cultural value.
Located some ten kilometers from the city of Baracoa, within the Cuchillas del Toa Biosphere Reserve, the site is currently benefiting from a program which includes soil conservation measures, focused on filling gullies with rocks and tree trunks.
Conservation expert Leandro Galano Machado noted that the measures also include planting endemic plants and training for locals in the proper use and management of the flora and fauna resources of the area.
He added that the program extends to the signposting of paths and tourist attractions in the area, monitoring of the Podocarpus angustifolius, an endemic species of conifer which is among the 50 endangered species of the country, and joint surveillance and protection of the area by forest rangers.
Described by Christopher Columbus as “a high square mountain which seemed to be an island,” a recent study noted the biodiversity of the area, home to 159 plant species.
Various studies are planned for El Yunque, including one to determine the life cycle and the number of species of Farcimen yunquensis (a land snail measuring less than 20 millimeters) and to discover the eating habits of the Eleutherodactylus acmonis frog, aimed at its possible reproduction in captivity, explained Ríder Lobaina Durán, head of the technical conservation department of the enterprise’s provincial branch.
