“The most satisfying thing about my work in Cuba this year really has been on the marine part of the program, the Caribbean turtle population is in serious decline and that’s why all these species are listed on the endangered species list.”

 

The biggest threat to marine conservation is the high volume of tourist, over a million people visit each year and that number is expected to swell. Such massive tourism growth could have serious impacts on the marine ecosystem, including endangered marine turtles who compete for nesting space on the popular tourist beaches. Once abundant in Caribbean waters, marine turtles have been hunted to the brink of extinction for their meat, eggs and beautiful shells.

 

“I was actually quite surprised to find tortoise shell products right out on the open, but you can't allow any of it to happen, because if people buy it, then there’s the demand.”

 

For many years, Cuba retained a legal fishery of five hundred hawksbill turtles a year, but thanks to a joint effort by WWF and the Cuban Ministry of Fisheries, the nation has banned the harvesting of all marine turtle species.

 

And while WWF Canada's conservation expertise is making an impact in Cuba, Canada can learn a great deal in turn. Cuba is currently the only country in the world to meet WWF’s criteria for sustainable development, minimizing its ecological footprint while preserving a healthy standard of living. Organic farming plays a significant role in Cuba's success.

 

“I was just walk up into the Escambray Mountains in Cuba, this is the perfect area for growing coffee and these bushes grow quite well, especially up on the mountain sides, a lot of coffee these days are just plantation, where the forests are completely cut down.”

 

Organic farming practices help preserve the environment, but it's still necessary to set aside protected areas. Therefore national parks and preserves cover nearly a third of the island, of these , Ciénaga de Zapata is the largest park and covers over two thousand square miles of coasts, swamps and mangroves.

 

Environmental education forms an important part of WWF's programs in this area, including extra-curricular clubs for children. As a Cuban landscape evolves politically and economically, Julia hopes that with WWF’s efforts, at least some of the environment will stay the same.

 

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