Life Task plan: Mangroves protection prioritized in Holguín

The protection of mangroves are one of the priorities for the specialists of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment in the province of Holguín, as part of the implementation of the Life Task plan of the Cuban State to tackle climate change.

These ecosystems act as preservative barriers against extreme weather events such as hurricanes, and contribute to the reduction of the adverse effects caused by the waves, as well as the protection of populations of native species in the coastal zone.

Holguín carried out reforestation and environmental education actions in communities to celebrate the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem, instituted by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which is celebrated every year on July 26.

Activities included the Mangrove Festival in the mining-metallurgical municipality of Moa, about 200 kilometers east of the provincial capital, an event dedicated to promoting red mangrove populations, representative of eastern Cuba.

Melaneo Maden, promoter of the initiative, told the ACN that even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, social networks are used for developing environmental awareness, mainly among adolescents and young people.

He noted the importance of audiovisuals, photographs and teaching aids to promote the importance of these plants for the balance of the coastal strip, one of the imminent dangers caused by the rise in sea level.

Cuban mangroves cover more than two-thirds of the archipelago's coasts, which represents around five percent of the country's total area, according to the encyclopedia ecured.

Mangroves are evergreen forests, adapted to extreme conditions of salinity and humidity and constitute the only vegetation in contact with the sea.