REFUGIO DE FAUNA GUANAROCA-GAVILANES

Description. A wildlife reserve on the south coast of central Cuba: two areas of different character united into a single reserve. Extent 3038 ha (1704 ha terrestrial, 1334 ha marine). Established in 1995. Administered by the Empresa Nacional para la Protección de la Flora y la Fauna, Cuba.

Biodiversity. Numbers of species recorded in the management plan: Animalia, 170; Bacteria, 0; Chromista, 0; Fungi, 0; Plantae, 101 (about 30 endemic to Cuba); Protozoa, 0. Numbers of endangered species: Animalia, at least 3; Bacteria, not known; Chromista, not known; Fungi, not known; Plantae, not known (but Annona havanensis declared extinct in 1958 has been rediscovered on the reserve); Protozoa, not known. Lists of animals and plants of the national park are included in the management plan.

Problems. Ownership rights to the area need clarification. The reserve is fragmented, and lies within two different local authorities making administration difficult. Deforestation. Salinification, particularly in the mangrove swamps. Staff training needed. Hard currency funding inadequate. Information systems insufficiently developed. Environmental education programme too limited in scope. More research and development needed in marine sectors of the reserve. Planning and co-ordination needs to be improved. Poor infrastructure (transport, equipment etc.). Inadequate protection of the area. Poor or absent signposting. Biodiversity resources under-valued. Poor track conditions making access difficult.

Project work. A 129 page management plan was produced with support from the Darwin Initiative project Biodiversity Conservation in Cuba.