Cuchillas del Toa
Encyclopedia
Cuchillas del Toa is a Biosphere Reserve
in Cuba
. It is located in the eastern part of the country, mostly in the Guantánamo Province
and reaching to the north into the Holguín Province
. Most of the reserve is established in the drainage area of the Toa River
, which flows for 118 km (73.3 mi) to the Atlantic Ocean
in Baracoa.
The reserve extends along 2083.05 square kilometres (804.3 sq mi), of which 60.13 square kilometres (23.2 sq mi) to the marine area. Cuchillas del Toa is considered as one of the principal centers of biodiversity and endemism in Cuba and the insular Caribbean with pine forests
, cloud forests and xeric scrub to complex coastal vegetation with mangrove
s and coral reef
s. The karst
ic system of the great cave of Moa Head lands is one of the five natural monuments in the country and one of the great cave systems in eastern Cuba. With high biodiversity in flora and fauna, there are 928 endemic species reported, including primitive species belonging to the genera Podocarpus
and Dracaena
. Cuchiilas del Toa is home to the highly endangered Cuban Ivory-billed Woodpecker
(Campephilus principalis bairdii), Cuban Kite
(Chondrohierax wilsoni), and the Cuban Solenodon
(Solenodon cubanus). Some of the world’s smallest mammal species are found in the reserve. About 18,300 inhabitants (2002), in 498 communities, live in the buffer zone and transition area of this mountainous reserve. Engaged in forestry, traditional agriculture (coffee
, coconut
, and cacao) and ecotourism
, they also raise cattle and participate in nickel
, chromium
, iron
and cobalt
mining. These activities had increased negative impacts in the carrying capacity of the ecosystems, one of the main problems the reserve faces today. Another interesting aspect of this biosphere reserve is its history as battlefield for freedom. In the 18th and 19th centuries, escaped African slaves called Cimmarones
found refuge in the region. It is twinned with the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve
in Chiapas
, Mexico
, due to similar environmental conditions and resource management.
The reserve protects tropical wet forest and coastal/marine ecosystem
s. It surrounds the Alejandro de Humboldt National Park
and also contains El Yunque
table mountain, the Infierno Creek with a 300 metres (984.3 ft) waterfall, the Great Cave of Moa
(Gran Caverna de Moa) and the Bay of Taco, north of Baracoa.
, is sub-divided into 4 areas, called Cupeyal del Norte, Ojito de Agua, la Melba and Baracoa. Cuchillas del Toa was listed as a UNESCO
Biosphere Reserve
in 1987.
The reserve protects species such as the Cuban Solenodon
(Solenodon cubanus, almiquí), Cuban Trogon
(Priotelus temnurus, Cuba's national bird), Gundlach's Hawk
(Accipiter gundlachi) and Cuban Green Woodpecker
(Xiphidiopicus percussus), some endangered.
Biosphere reserve
The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...
in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. It is located in the eastern part of the country, mostly in the Guantánamo Province
Guantánamo Province
Guantánamo is the easternmost province of Cuba. Its capital is also called Guantánamo. Other towns include Baracoa. The province surrounds the U.S. Navy base at Guantánamo Bay.-History:...
and reaching to the north into the Holguín Province
Holguín Province
Holguín is one of the provinces of Cuba, the third most populous after Ciudad de la Habana and Santiago de Cuba. It lies in the northeast of the country. Its major cities include Holguín , Banes, Antilla, Mayarí, and Moa....
. Most of the reserve is established in the drainage area of the Toa River
Toa river
The Toa River,tony leflore :) is a river located in the Guantánamo Province of Cuba, which flows across the country. This river is 131 kilometers long and has 72 tributaries. The Toa river is well known for its crystal clear waters....
, which flows for 118 km (73.3 mi) to the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
in Baracoa.
The reserve extends along 2083.05 square kilometres (804.3 sq mi), of which 60.13 square kilometres (23.2 sq mi) to the marine area. Cuchillas del Toa is considered as one of the principal centers of biodiversity and endemism in Cuba and the insular Caribbean with pine forests
Cuban pine forests
The Cuban pine forests are a tropical coniferous forest ecoregion on the Caribbean islands of Cuba and Isla de la Juventud. They cover an area of , occurring in separate sections in eastern Cuba and western Cuba and Isla de la Juventud.-Description:...
, cloud forests and xeric scrub to complex coastal vegetation with mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
s and coral reef
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
s. The karst
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
ic system of the great cave of Moa Head lands is one of the five natural monuments in the country and one of the great cave systems in eastern Cuba. With high biodiversity in flora and fauna, there are 928 endemic species reported, including primitive species belonging to the genera Podocarpus
Podocarpus
Podocarpus is a genus of conifers, the most numerous and widely distributed of the podocarp family Podocarpaceae. The 105 species of Podocarpus are evergreen shrubs or trees from 1-25 m in height...
and Dracaena
Dracaena (plant)
Dracaena is a genus of about 40 species of trees and succulent shrubs. In the APG III classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoideae . It has also formerly been separated into the family Dracaenaceae or placed in the Agavaceae...
. Cuchiilas del Toa is home to the highly endangered Cuban Ivory-billed Woodpecker
Cuban Ivory-billed Woodpecker
The Cuban Ivory-billed Woodpecker or Carpintero real is, or was, a Cuban subspecies of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker . Once classified as a separate species, recent research has indicated that C. p...
(Campephilus principalis bairdii), Cuban Kite
Cuban Kite
The Cuban Kite, Chondrohierax wilsonii, is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, eagles and harriers. It is endemic to Cuba....
(Chondrohierax wilsoni), and the Cuban Solenodon
Cuban Solenodon
The Cuban Solenodon or Almiqui , is a species of soricomorph that is endemic to Cuba. It belongs to the family Solenodontidae along with a similar species, the Hispaniolan Solenodon...
(Solenodon cubanus). Some of the world’s smallest mammal species are found in the reserve. About 18,300 inhabitants (2002), in 498 communities, live in the buffer zone and transition area of this mountainous reserve. Engaged in forestry, traditional agriculture (coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
, and cacao) and ecotourism
Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism visiting fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas, intended as a low impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial tourism...
, they also raise cattle and participate in nickel
Nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
, chromium
Chromium
Chromium is a chemical element which has the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in Group 6. It is a steely-gray, lustrous, hard metal that takes a high polish and has a high melting point. It is also odorless, tasteless, and malleable...
, iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
and cobalt
Cobalt
Cobalt is a chemical element with symbol Co and atomic number 27. It is found naturally only in chemically combined form. The free element, produced by reductive smelting, is a hard, lustrous, silver-gray metal....
mining. These activities had increased negative impacts in the carrying capacity of the ecosystems, one of the main problems the reserve faces today. Another interesting aspect of this biosphere reserve is its history as battlefield for freedom. In the 18th and 19th centuries, escaped African slaves called Cimmarones
Maroon (people)
Maroons were runaway slaves in the West Indies, Central America, South America, and North America, who formed independent settlements together...
found refuge in the region. It is twinned with the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve
Lacandon Jungle
The Lacandon Jungle is an area of rainforest which stretches from Chiapas, Mexico into Guatemala and into the southern part of the Yucatán Peninsula. The heart of this rainforest is located in the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas near the border with Guatemala in the Montañas del Oriente...
in Chiapas
Chiapas
Chiapas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas is one of the 31 states that, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 118 municipalities and its capital city is Tuxtla Gutierrez. Other important cites in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, due to similar environmental conditions and resource management.
The reserve protects tropical wet forest and coastal/marine ecosystem
Marine ecosystem
Marine ecosystems are among the largest of Earth's aquatic ecosystems. They include oceans, salt marsh and intertidal ecology, estuaries and lagoons, mangroves and coral reefs, the deep sea and the sea floor. They can be contrasted with freshwater ecosystems, which have a lower salt content. Marine...
s. It surrounds the Alejandro de Humboldt National Park
Alejandro de Humboldt National Park
Parque Nacional Alejandro de Humboldt is a national park in the Cuban provinces of Holguín and Guantánamo. It is named after the German scientist Alexander von Humboldt who visited the island in 1800 and 1801...
and also contains El Yunque
El Yunque, Cuba
El Yunque is a high mountain located west of Baracoa and the Baracoa Bay in Cuba's Guantanamo Province. It has a table mountain shape that resembles an anvil ....
table mountain, the Infierno Creek with a 300 metres (984.3 ft) waterfall, the Great Cave of Moa
Moa, Cuba
Moa is a municipality and city in the Holguín Province of Cuba.Large nickel deposits located in the Moa area are exploited in part by joint ventures with the Canadian company Sherritt International.-Demographics:...
(Gran Caverna de Moa) and the Bay of Taco, north of Baracoa.
Conservation
The reserve was classified as IUCN Managed Resource Protected Area. It has a total area of 2023.54 km² (781.3 sq mi), and its core area, the Alejandro de Humboldt National ParkAlejandro de Humboldt National Park
Parque Nacional Alejandro de Humboldt is a national park in the Cuban provinces of Holguín and Guantánamo. It is named after the German scientist Alexander von Humboldt who visited the island in 1800 and 1801...
, is sub-divided into 4 areas, called Cupeyal del Norte, Ojito de Agua, la Melba and Baracoa. Cuchillas del Toa was listed as a UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
Biosphere Reserve
Biosphere reserve
The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...
in 1987.
The reserve protects species such as the Cuban Solenodon
Cuban Solenodon
The Cuban Solenodon or Almiqui , is a species of soricomorph that is endemic to Cuba. It belongs to the family Solenodontidae along with a similar species, the Hispaniolan Solenodon...
(Solenodon cubanus, almiquí), Cuban Trogon
Cuban Trogon
The Cuban Trogon or Tocororo is a species of bird in the Trogonidae family. It is endemic to the Caribbean island of Cuba, where it is also the national bird....
(Priotelus temnurus, Cuba's national bird), Gundlach's Hawk
Gundlach's Hawk
The Gundlach's Hawk is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family. It is endemic to Cuba.Its natural habitats are dry forests and lowland moist forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:*...
(Accipiter gundlachi) and Cuban Green Woodpecker
Cuban Green Woodpecker
The Cuban Green Woodpecker is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Xiphidiopicus.It is endemic to Cuba....
(Xiphidiopicus percussus), some endangered.