Cuban experts are working on proposals to establish two new Ramsar sites within the country, in accordance with an international convention related to the protection of wetlands and in particular, those of importance to aquatic bird populations.
The sites under consideration include one on the Guanahacabibes Peninsula and another area south of the municipality Los Palacios, both in the province of Pinar del Río, according to specialist at the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Environment (Citma).
If the proposed wetlands are approved, Cuba will have a total of eight such sites of international importance. Currently designated Ramsar sites are the Ciénaga de Zapata (Matanzas); the Cauto River Delta (Granma); Ciego de Ávila’s Great Northern Wetland; the Máximo-Camagüey Rivers wetlands (Camagüey); the Ciénaga de Lanier; and the southern portion of the Isle of Youth.
The Ramsar Convention was signed in 1971 in the Iranian city for which it is named, and went into effect four years later. Cuba became a signatory in 2001, drawn to the only convention of this kind focused on a specific type of ecosystem – one of special importance in the country, since wetlands are key to maintaining biodiversity and play a vital role in regulating the island’s fresh water cycle.
