International Work - Biodiversity Restoration in Cuba

Biodiversity Restoration and Community Development Project, in the Eastern Province of Guantanamo, intends to start the implementation of Analog Forestry techniques in degraded forest areas that are ecologically important in the region.

Built-in to the program is an educational component that strengthens and links socio-cultural aspects to biodiversity restoration and sustainable environmental management through improved skills, knowledge, and technological training.

Download the full executive summary English | Spanish

Specific Objectives

Institute of Forest Research (IIF) will be recognized as a leader in biodiversity restoration training programs.
IIF will work with communities to restore degraded lands.
Use of landscape design methodology to assist community economic development through sales of products derived from restoration activities.

Characteristics of Sites

Cojimar, Havana Area (pilot site)

Population: approx. 9000 inhabitants
Los 3 Picos
Empresa de Cultivas Varios Habana

Economic Activities:

urban organic gardens
state-run seed and gardening stores
newly privatized farmers markets

Environment:

river watershed area in the city of Havana.

Paraguay Region, Guantanamo

Population: approx. 1500 inhabitants
Empresa Forestal Guantánamo

Economic Activities:

sugar cane plantations
agriculturecooperative on state plots
forestry company activity

Environment:

ecologically important area home to unique Xerophytic Corridor
endemic species: carbon ebony (Diospyros caribaea); Coccoloba uvífera, (medicinal properties); and Casuarina equisetifolia (soil restoration)

Cuba-Canada Partnership

1) Institute of Forestry Research, Cuba

The Institute of Forestry Research fulfills its mission by implementing projects on research and development, technical innovation, providing solutions to problems related to forest and environmental management.

The Guantanamo Experimental Extension will host the headquarters of the project in the eastern region, carrying out research on genetics, forestry, seeds, and species propagation. It will also undertake small scale activities in the dry zone of the province, a priority in the national reforestation plan.

Coordinadora: Orlidia Hechavarría,MSc. Applied Ecology Forest Engineer
email: orlidia@forestales.co.cu

2) Falls Brook Centre, Canada

Falls Brook Centre (FBC) is a registered non-profit, community education and sustainable development demonstration site in Carleton County, New Brunswick. Since 1992 with four program areas: Forest Stewardship, Organic Agriculture, Renewable Energy and Community Development, FBC has been actively involved in the development and promotion of sustainable agriculture and forestry practices to demonstrate and communicate traditional skills and wisdom, combined with appropriate technology to make the abstract concept of sustainable development a reality.

Coordinator: Claudia Maria Menendez
email: claudia@fallsbrookcentre.ca

Prelimiary Results of Analog Forestry in the Province of Guantanamo
After much preparing, familiarizing and working in the province of Guantanamo the preliminary results have been produced by the farmers, technicians and silviculture workers.

What is Analog Forestry?

Analog forestry is a system of silviculture management that seeks to establish a tree dominated ecosystem identical in structure and ecological function to the original climax or sub-climax vegetation community.

It seeks to enhance the relationship between the natural environment and economy of rural communities through the use of species that provide marketable products. It is a promising means of addressing important issues such as forest restoration, soil conservation, carbon sequestration, and community resilience.

Achieving biodiversity restoration by applying landscape design methodology and techniques that work towards sustainable environmental management; coactive participation from the community and involvement of the woodlot owners and workers is the key element for Analog Forestry success.

Cuba conference and workshop summary

February 11th – 22nd, 2008

This February the International Analog Forestry Network held their first conference and workshop in Cuba. As the project Biodiversity Restoration and Community Development in the Eastern Province of Guantanamo, Cuba gets underway, forestry experts from Sri Lanka, Ecuador, and Costa Rica came to support the first stage of the project. Along with the project team from the Cuban Forest Research Institute (Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales – IIF) and Falls Brook Centre Canada, the members of the IAFN held a series of workshops and conferences in Habana and Guantanamo. The workshops were designed to introduce local farmers and forest technicians to the principals of landscape design in order to create a plan for analog forestry on forest farms in the Cojimar Valley, and in the xerophytic region of Guantanamo. A conference was held in Habana and Guantanamo in order to raise awareness among government officials, forest technicians, and supporting organizations on the importance of biodiversity restoration and community development for their local environment. The conference and workshops were met with much enthusiasm as members of the IAFN and local participants shared experiences and knowledge while creating a long term vision of reforestation in Cuba.

Support biodiversity restoration and community development in Guantanamo