Cuba: What's at stake

Though only 90 miles from Florida, Cuba is a world apart. At the seam of the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, the island is rimmed with 3,000 miles of coastline and contains mountain rainforests and wetlands teeming with plants and animals—many found nowhere else. Cuba's coral reefs are among the most intact in the region.

The 50-year-old U.S. embargo and, more recently, strong domestic environmental policies have helped keep Cuba from overdevelopment and the destruction that often goes with it. But pressure is mounting to build upscale hotels and golf resorts along its unspoiled shorelines, and exploratory drilling for oil and gas is set to begin in 2011.

Cuba's remote southern coast: A step back in time

Much is at stake. A significant portion of Cuba's southern coast remains pristine wetland forest and beaches—a window onto the Caribbean as it looked centuries ago—which forms one of the most important fish nurseries in the Caribbean.

Isolated lagoons and coral gardens like the famed Gardens of the Queen (Jardines de la Reina) harbor an amazing array of shark species—silky, Caribbean reef, blacktip, lemon, nurse and whale sharks—a sign of ecosystem health and resilience.

"For over a decade, EDF has been collaborating with Cuban scientists and park managers on the southern coast," says Whittle," so that we can preserve these biodiverse coral reef systems for future generations."

Cuban scientists' research is also extremely valuable to scientists elsewhere, including fishery and coral reef experts who are working to restore degraded coastal and marine ecosystems in the United States.

A critical stopover for birds on the Atlantic Flyway

Cuba's diverse tropical ecosystems also nurture more than 200 bird species. Twenty-five of these are found only on the island, including the world's smallest bird—a tiny iridescent hummingbird the size of a bumblebee. Seventeen of these endemic species are endangered.

The area around Havana is a major launching pad for most of the familiar songbirds—from blackbirds to warblers—that nest along the eastern seaboard of the United States. Every spring, millions of songbirds gather on the northern coast of Matanzas province, waiting for the right conditions to fly to the Florida Everglades. In the fall, they reverse course to head to points south, stopping to refuel and rest in Cuba.

The 2,300-square-mile Zapata Swamp and Biosphere Reserve on Cuba's southern coast, the Caribbean's largest preserved wetland system, is a favorite of birdwatchers, with 172 bird species inhabiting the peninsula. Many, like the Zapata wren, are native to the area, as are numerous other fauna and flora.

These wetlands and estuaries are also prime nursery grounds for fish. Larvae drift with prevailing currents, and then settle and grow, moving from shallower habitats to coral reefs farther out as they age. "Without healthy inshore nurseries, the entire base of this fragile ecosystem is at risk," says Dr. Doug Rader, EDF's chief oceans scientist, an ecologist who has worked for decades to protect marine ecosystems in United States and nearby waters, including Cuba.

Sharks, sea turtles and fisheries

Cuba and the United States share some of the same habitats and wildlife, and many of the same fish species are found in both waters. Snapper and grouper larvae hatched in Cuban waters are carried to the United States, where they help sustain lucrative commercial fisheries. Mahi, wahoo, tuna and billfish, prized by recreational fishermen in the United States, also grow and feed in Cuban waters.

Many threatened shark species migrate throughout the Gulf of Mexico. Tagged sharks have swum from Mexican to Cuban to U.S. waters, including the Southeast Atlantic. EDF is spearheading an effort with Sarasota's Mote Marine Laboratory to link the United States, Mexico and Cuba in a cooperative program to rebuild shark populations in the Gulf.

"What happens in Cuba affects us, and what we do affects them," says Whittle. "Even if the United States did a great job of managing our marine resources, it wouldn't be enough if Cuba did not do the same. We need to reciprocate."