6 de febrero de 2025

Radio 26 – Matanzas, Cuba

Emisora provincial de Matanzas, Cuba, La Radio de tu Corazón

Wetlands conservation is praised in Ciénaga de Zapata.

This government-science and people exercise allows us to celebrate Wetlands Day in Matanzas, convinced that in that territory where the independence of the island was fought for until the first great defeat of U.S. imperialism in Latin America, environmental conservation is equally important.

Within the diversity of landscapes that make up the geography of the Cuban province of Matanzas, wetlands, ecosystems in which water is the common element, stand out. For this reason, in addition to the marshlands with which they are associated, lakes, rivers, marshes, salt marshes and dams that are permanently or temporarily flooded are also included in the category of wetlands.

However, in Matanzas the term wetland is especially linked to the Majaguillar Swamp, in the north of the territory, and Zapata Swamp in the south, due to its high physical-economic and environmental values.

This is justified by the high capacity to prevent flooding and penetration of the sea inland, produce oxygen and capture carbon dioxide, filter water and serve as habitat for numerous species of the animal and plant kingdoms, as well as to develop human activities such as nature tourism and fishing.

However, natural processes such as the increase in global temperature, the melting of the polar ice caps and the rise in the average sea level, together with some actions carried out by humans within these ecosystems, accentuate their fragility and vulnerability.

For example, experts estimate that by the period 2050-2100 the lowest area of the Zapata Swamp, the swamp responsible for maintaining the climate and rainfall in the center of the province, where the fertile lands of the Havana-Matanzas plain are located, will be submerged.

To mitigate the effects of this phenomenon, which, together with the advance of the salt wedge, affects the quality of drinking water and agricultural soils, this wetland is at the center of the Tarea Vida, the Cuban government’s plan to confront climate change, which is about to celebrate its first decade.

Under this umbrella, investments and educational actions are carried out to protect the lives of people, plants and animals, maintain the health of the mangroves, manage the coastal zone, rationally use natural resources and produce food.

The use of sustainable practices in logging, charcoal production, hunting and fishing – traditional in the area – as well as the introduction of agroecology, which today makes it possible to harvest potatoes in the region, are proof of this.

Water purification plants have also been installed in towns such as Bermejo, Cayo Ramona and Santo Tomás to prevent their inhabitants from consuming brackish water, which is a threat to human health.

The constant vigilance to prevent forest fires and the reestablishment of the parameters of the Soplillar Channel are also achievements of the Tarea Vida in this wetland, the first Ramsar Site in Cuba, where ecotourism is aimed at preserving the ecosystem and offering sources of employment to the inhabitants of this place.

This exercise of government-science and people allows us to celebrate Wetlands Day in Matanzas, convinced that in that territory where the independence and sovereignty of the Island were fought for until the first great defeat of North American imperialism in Latin America, the conservation of the environment is equally important.

Written by Ana González Goicochea.

 

 

 

 

 

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