RESERVA FLORÍSTICA MANEJADA LEBRIJE

Description. A reserve for plants in central Cuba. Extent 949 ha. Established in 1992. 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, 314 (85 species endemic to Cuba); Bacteria, 0; Chromista, 0; Fungi, 0; Plantae, 226; Protozoa, 0. Numbers of endangered species: Animalia, 26; Bacteria, not known; Chromista, not known; Fungi, not known; Plantae, not known; Protozoa, not known. Lists of animals and plants of the national park are included in the management plan.

Problems. Destruction, degradation and fragmentation of the area caused by historical forestry and grazing. Erosion problems in depopulated areas of the woodland. Presence of invasive exotic species. Insufficient understanding of ecological processes. Illegal hunting and felling. Ecotourism under-developed. Reserve not properly signposted. Poor understanding in the local population of conservation. Insufficient understanding of ecological processes within the reserve. Poor provision for forest fire. No infrastructure to implement the reserve's management plan. Insufficient administrative control of the reserve's buffer zone. Incomplete technical staff complementation. Insufficient training of technical staff. Perimeter fence incomplete. Roads within the reserve poor in quality. Protection of the reserve inadequate. Resources for realizing projects inadequate.

Project work. A 87 page management plan was produced with support from the Darwin Initiative project Biodiversity Conservation in Cuba.