• Submitted by: admin
• Environment
• 05 / 17 / 2010

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The potentiality for the development of environmental education, the preservation of species and ecological tourism, guarantee the creation and gradual application of a protection and conservation project in Cayo Ratones as part of the Managed Floristic Reserve category.

This protected area, located among the slate heights of San Juan y Martinez municipality covers 431,3 hectares and according to Master in Science Leo Chile, secretary of the Science and Technique Forum in the territory and manager of the Reserve, the file is being updated and a management plan has been approved and will count on the participation of the Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment (CITMA), the Forest Ranger Department, the Forestry Unit of the territory and the Integral Forest Company of Pinar del Rio.

The spot outstands for its vegetation of pine grove forests, galleries, flat-topped hillocks and xeromorpha, with 374 species, 101 of them endemic of the region, and 11 in different categories of threat.

Among the latter is the metaxia rostrata fern that in 1999 constituted a new report for Cuba and the marathrum cubanum, a species typical of rainfall currents and one of the two unique species of the Podostemaceae family, explains the manager.

As part of the fauna it can be seen the tocororo (Cuban Trogon), the cartacuba (Cuban Tody), the humming bird, the negrito, the maja de Santamaria (Cuban Boa), lizards and jutias conga.

From the hydrographical point of view it includes a significant pluvial network, since the Ratones stream is the main tributary of San Juan river, it also has two rainfalls and several springs that keep a permanent water current.

In 1999 a wild fire damaged part of the area but it recovered very soon.

By Blanchie Sartorio    

Source: Guerrillero