Cuba’s natural blessings are the result of a manifold historical trajectory. The American trade and tourism embargo and the collapse of the Soviet Union have both made “accidental” contributions to the survival of Cuban wildlife.

Cuba’s low population density (about 102 people per square kilometer) and relative land isolation as an island have afforded it moderately low levels of environmental destruction and high levels of endemism. And Cuba remains biologically diverse, but it has seen its share of loss.

Spanish colonialism invited new plants, animals, and diseases, and some native lifeforms failed to cope. Species unique to Cuba became extinct, including varieties of sloths and monkeys, among other animals.

The expansion of Cuban commercialism and industry, particularly with the influence of European and American capital, continued to threaten Cuban wildlife populations. Tobacco and more significantly sugar transformed the country from a Spanish shipping port to a major agricultural exporter. As sugar demand rose, habitat was destroyed for farming. Today, farmers still compete with wildlife for use of the land. At the same time, heavy industrial development polluted Cuban air, land, and water.

Cuba’s 1959 revolution set the country on a path apart from other post-colonial nations.
Although revolutionary Cuba instituted policies around agriculture, industry, forests, and water, like most states in the 1960s, its moderate environmental efforts had mixed results. Focusing more heavily on agriculture rather than heavy industry probably did more to save Cuban wildlife in the ‘60s and ‘70s than did any environmentally conscious policies.

While global capitalism continued on a general course of thoughtless environmental destruction, the U.S. embargo against Cuba, including a travel ban, freed the country from its most salient environmental threat while putting the nation under great economic strain. Cuba traded and underwent forms of “development,” but in many ways avoided the developments of late century American capitalism. While both “capitalism” and “communism” ultimately undervalued natural resources, American executive and legislative dispositions helped nurture the blossoming of Cuban wildlife.

A dramatic shift toward agriculture, industry, and the environment appeared after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. With shortages in fossil fuels and the disappearance of 80% of both imports and exports, Cuba entered the “Special Period,” an economic depression that required new techniques to help the country become more self-sustaining. Although Cuban beaches were opened to international tourism, an environmentally significant aspect of the Special Period was the adoption of permaculture agriculture and land use strategies.

Circumstances since the ’90s have led the Cuban government to take a stronger legislative and rhetorical stance toward environmental management. Although initially centered around the human species, Fidel Castro’s 1992 address to the UN Earth Summit in Rio De Janeiro expresses this attitude of environmental awareness and urgency:

“An important biological species is in danger of disappearing due to the fast and progressive destruction of its natural living conditions: mankind. We have now become aware of this problem when it is almost too late to stop it. … Tomorrow it will be too late to do what we should have done a long time ago.”

Today Cuba exhibits thriving natural diversity, though it may be tenuous. Agricultural pollution, habitat destruction, and significantly tourism all threaten the island’s plants and animals and compete for land and water use.

Every moment brings Cuba closer to the possibility of a lifted U.S. embargo, which would dramatically affect Cuba’s economic possibilities and thus its wildlife. One of the many mixed blessing would be increased tourism.

Marine conservationist Fernando Bretos notes that “The tourism impact has really been minimal in Cuba, but that’s going to change. When you go from 2 million tourists a year to 4 to 6 to 8, everything will change.”

Those with concern for Cuban wildlife but an understanding of the inevitable promote an ecotourism that focuses on enjoying and even actively supporting nature. This practice necessitates natural preservation, though potentially favoring certain species of flora and fauna over others. Mixed messages from officials make it unclear how Cuba’s tourism industry will proceed, but some conservationists see Cuba’s position as an opportunity to set a constructive example.

Cayo Coco is one of a chain of islands in the Jardines del Rey archipelago, which spreads across a section of the northern shore of Cuba. It has long been known for its pristine landscape and diverse ecosystems. In the late 1980’s, as the power of the Soviet Union began to fade, Cuba began to look toward its own future, and an expansion of tourism revenue. Cayo Coco, with its mangroves, sand dunes, beautiful birds and crystal waters was a prime tourist attraction already, but it was decided that a highway linking it to the main island would offer easier access for tourists and provide better opportunities for developers of resort properties and golf courses. Accordingly, a stone causeway, about 12 miles long, was built across the shallow waters of Bahía de los Perros (Dogs Bay).

Unfortunately, almost as soon as the causeway was completed, it was clear that its presence had created a number of serious environmental concerns. The mangroves began dying off, and habitat for the birds was being lost. The causeway was cutting off seawater and tidal flow that would normally have been coming in and nourishing the rest of the coastal area. Levels of salinity and water temperature were affected. Fish were dying. It was obvious to everyone that something needed to be done.

In the early 1990’s, as a direct result of the ecological repercussions from the Cayo Coco debacle, the Cuban government began to make key changes. A new official state policy was announced, focusing on conservation, and new environmental laws were written into the constitution.

Today, about 22% of Cuba land and a quarter of its marine habitat is protected by law, a percentage of safeguarded environment among the highest of any nation. Twenty-one coastal and marine protected areas have already been legally declared and more than 100 more are proposed, many of which are considered to have national significance due to the marine biodiversity value.

It is a good result from a poor beginning. The future, however, is not entirely rosy. The Coco Cayo causeway itself continues to be a problem. Though its structure has been modified to ameliorate some of the damage caused by its original design, it continues to require high levels of maintenance because it is surrounded by water and vulnerable to the elements. In 2008, Hurricane Ike damaged fourteen of the causeway’s bridges and seven lighthouses, damage that has been estimated to require five years to repair.

Between the environmental loss and the expensive maintenance, Cubans have paid a high cost for the causeway to Cayo Coco, especially considering that up until 2008 Cubans needed special permits from the government to use the causeway, while foreign tourists had free access. The ban has since been lifted, but Cayo Coco and its luxury resorts remain financially inaccessible to most Cubans who on average only make about twenty dollars a month.

Cuba continues to change and grow. Tourism continues to thrive and development continues. If the U.S. embargo is lifted, it is expected that great numbers of American tourists will also arrive, which will put a strain on Cuba’s ability to enforce the environmental laws it has established. But Cuba has the distinct advantage of having been down this road before, which will clearly be a great help as it faces its future. That future poses both a challenge and an opportunity for Cuba to protect its remaining natural landscapes and to demonstrate a new model for environmental preservation.

Scientific research in Cuba on creatures such as the notoriously aggressive “jumping” crocodile, and the famous painted snails, paired with long-term ecological efforts on behalf of sea turtles, has been conducted primarily by devoted local experts.  Conservation and research in Cuba can be a constant struggle for scientists who earn little for their work.  But their work is their passion, and no less important than that of those collecting larger salaries.  NATURE follows these scientists as they explore the crocodile population of Zapata swamp, the birth of baby sea turtles, and the mysteries of evolution demonstrated by creatures that travel no more than 60 yards in a lifetime.

As the possibility of an end to the U.S. trade embargo looms, Cuba’s wildlife hangs in the balance.  Most experts predict that the end of the embargo could have devastating results.  Tourism could double, and the economic development associated with tourism and other industries could change the face of what was once a nearly pristine ecosystem.  Or Cuba could set an example for development and conservation around the world, defining a new era of sustainability well beyond Cuba’s borders.

Cuba: The Accidental Eden premieres Sunday, September 26, 2010 on PBS (check local listings).

Cuba’s diverse wildlife stems from its unique natural history. Cuba was not originally in the Caribbean Sea but in the Pacific Ocean, where the island was situated 100 million years ago, before the forces of continental drift slowly brought it into the Caribbean. As the island migrated over the ages, an astonishing variety of life arrived by air, sea, and possibly by land bridges that may have once existed. Over time, these animals adapted to their new environment. Today, more than half of Cuba’s plants and animals, including more than 80 percent of its reptiles and amphibians, are found nowhere else on the planet.

Protected by its isolation, the wildlife of Cuba has remained naturally preserved, untouched, and unexplored. Through a special arrangement with the Cuban government, unprecedented access was granted to film the island’s natural riches.

Join NATURE in exploring Cuba’s coral reefs, swamps, forests, and caves to uncover the astonishing diversity of life on the island.

Online content for Cuba: Wild Island of the Caribbean was posted January 2005.

Ninety miles off the tip of Florida lies a Caribbean isle shaped like a crocodile. That’s fitting, because the island of Cuba is home to rare “leaping” crocodiles — and a host of other unusual animals, including some of the world’s smallest hummingbirds, frogs, and lizards. There are caves full of bats and their wily predators, snakes.

MAP IT

The Republic of Cuba is comprised of Cuba, the main island; four archipelagos — the Sabana-Camagüey, the Colorados, the Jardines de la Reina, and the Canarreos; and smaller islands. The republic covers more than 110,000 square miles, about the size of Pennsylvania.

Cuba includes a patchwork of habitats, from fields and swamps to mountains and forests. Millions of tourists visit each year to swim in its warm seas and lounge on tropical beaches.

Here are few key spots for wildlife lovers:

Habana Province (1) is home to Cuba’s capital city, Havana, and lots of limestone caves and caverns. Some are flooded, drawing divers looking for adventure. Drifting in the perpetually dark waters, they can see a rare cave fish named Lucifuga, “the animal that flees from light.” It has no eyes and virtually no color, making it a ghostlike creature. Some species found in Cuba are found nowhere else. (More about Cuba’s wildlife »)

About 100 miles south of Havana is Ciénaga de Zapata (2) or Zapata Swamp, a world-famous wetland and national park. Mangroves, marshes, and woodlands there are home to a wide variety of birds, including two found nowhere else: the Zapata wren and the Zapata rail. The largest population of endangered Cuban crocodiles, known for their leaping abilities, also lives in the swamp. These crocs can grow to nearly 13 feet in length and 300 pounds in weight.

The Ciénaga de Zapata Biosphere Reserve, at 1.5 million acres, is Cuba’s largest protected area. But parts of the swamp are still unprotected. Nearby is the Bay of Pigs (3), where each spring millions of land crabs pour out of nearby swamps and into the shallow waters to breed. The bay was the site of a failed invasion attempt in 1961 by U.S.-backed Cuban expatriates intent on overthrowing Castro.

On the east end of the island, Guantanamo Bay (4) is a great place to see several dozen species of seabirds that feed in Cuban waters, from pelicans to sharp-beaked terns. The bee hummingbird, the world’s smallest bird, inhabits nearby forests.

At the Baconao Biosphere Reserve (5) there are caves full of bats, and the bat-eating cave boa. Visitors wait until dusk to watch the bats emerge for their nightly hunt.

A flock of a different kind — flamingos — can be found at Humedal Río Máximo-Cagüey (6), an internationally important wetland. Up to 75,000 of the tall pink birds can be seen feeding in the flats here, making it the largest colony of Caribbean flamingos.

At Peninsula de Guanahacabibes (7), on the very western tip of Cuba, a reef-fringed bay is home to sea turtles and the occasional porpoise. The reef is also visited by sharks and goliath groupers, which can weigh up to 800 pounds.

On the Isle of Youth (8) swimmers can see another kind of underwater treasure: coral reefs. These fence-like structures, built by living coral polyps, are home to an amazing array of brightly colored fish, clams, and invertebrates.

LAND & PEOPLE

Some say “Cuba” means “land” in an ancient Caribbean language. The island of Cuba, the largest island in the Caribbean and the 16th largest in the world, stretches for more than 740 miles across and more than 120 miles wide. It has about 1,500 miles of coastline, and no point on the island is more than 50 miles from the sea.

More than 11 million people call Cuba home. Most live in the low coastal plain that rings the island, where they raise sugarcane and other crops and work in small enterprises. The capital city, Havana, has a population of about 2 million.

Cuba has several steep mountain ranges. In 1959, communist leader Fidel Castro took control of the island, establishing a socialist dictatorship. The United States imposed a trade ban in the early 1960s, and limits travel to Cuba (other countries do not). The Soviet Union heavily subsidized Cuba’s economy until the end of the Cold War in the 1990s. Since then, the island’s economy has been slow to recover.

Cuba is composed mostly of limestone, a soft, porous rock that easily erodes. As a result, the island is honeycombed with caves and has the highest density of caves of any place on earth. There are also steep mountain ranges: the Sierra de los Órganos, the Sierra de Trinidad, and the Sierra Maestras. The Sierra de los Órganos are made up of “mogotes,” a set of oddly dome-shaped mountains. Pico Turquino, part of the Sierra Maestras, is Cuba’s tallest peak, rising up south of the Guantanamo Valley to about 6,500 feet.

Cuba’s tropical climate is moderated by trade winds, and includes a dry season (November to April) and a rainy season (May to October). Hurricanes periodically batter the island in the summer and fall.

UNIQUE PLANTLIFE

Cuba has more than 6,000 plant species, about half of which are found nowhere else. Some of the island’s best-known plants include the royal palm (Reistonea regia), which appears on the nation’s coat of arms. Some researchers believe there are more than 15 million palms on the island. Other interesting varieties include the rare cork palm (Microcycas calocoma), which is endemic and first appeared when dinosaurs walked the earth, and the big belly palm (Palma barrigona), whose shape matches its name.

Cuba’s swamps are renowned for their wide variety of plant and animal species. In the mountains, dry forests support a wealth of species, including delicate orchids and the elegant butterfly lily (Hedychium coronarium Koenig), the national flower. Mogotes, dome-shaped mounds in the Sierra de los Órganos, have a type of dry forest consisting of semidecidous and evergreen trees. The endemic ceibón tree (Bombacopsis cubensis) and piñón tree (Erythrina cubensis), and the oak tree (Tabebuia calcicola), are just some of the species found there. Pine forests, dominated by the Caribbean pine tree (Pinus caribaea), are abundant in the Sierra de los Órganos and in the northern half of the Isle of Youth. Rainforests also thrive in Cuba, especially in the eastern part of the island.

Along the southern coast, large mangrove swamps provide nursery waters for fish and important habitat for birds. The Zapata Swamp, the largest wetland in Cuba, has a wide range of vegetation, ranging from aquatic plants to plants typically found in semideserts. Species in the swamp include: water hyacinths (Ichhornia crassipes), fragrant water lilies (Nymphaea odorata), water lettuce (Pistis stratiotes), sawgrass (Claudium jamaicense), and sugarcane plume grass (Erianthus giganteus).

ECO-ALERT

Closed to much of the world for years, Cuba is now welcoming outsiders. Along with the tourists, however, has come development and increased use of natural resources. As a result, as on many small islands with a growing population, Cuba’s environment is feeling the pressure.

The government has stepped up efforts to protect Cuba’s environment. The problems are familiar. Deforestation and erosion are spreading as farms and cities expand. As trade improves, non-native species are finding their way onto the island. In addition, water pollution is worsening in Havana Bay.

Luckily, much of Cuba’s coastline and many mountain areas are still in very good shape, and the government is moving to protect them before irreversible changes occur. Over the last few decades, it has designated several major parks and stepped up efforts to inventory and map everything from dry forests to coral reefs. It has also moved to protect more than a dozen wetlands considered to be internationally important. International environmental groups have been helping out in an effort to prevent Cuba from repeating the haphazard development that has spoiled other Caribbean islands.

Many conservationists are optimistic about saving this remarkable wild island. But it may be decades before Cubans know if their efforts to preserve their natural resources for the future have paid off.

Cuba is a place teeming with wildlife, more animal and plant species than anywhere else in the Caribbean. Discover Cuba’s animals, some of which are endemic.

BEE HUMMINGBIRD (Mellisuga helenae)

Believed to be the world’s smallest bird, Cuba’s native bee hummingbird buzzes around forests and field edges in many parts of the island, where it feeds on flower nectar. It grows to about 2 inches long and weighs less than an ounce, or less than a dime. Some locals call it “zunzun,” and believe it is a symbol of love. Birders from all over the world travel to Cuba in hopes of catching a glimpse of this tiny bird.

BUTTERFLY BAT (Natalus family)

Cuba’s caves are home to many kinds of bats. But perhaps the best known is the butterfly bat, one of the world’s smallest. It has a wingspan of just 5 inches and weighs less than an ounce. It spends much of its time hanging around in dark, humid caves, but takes flight each evening to hunt for insects.

CARIBBEAN FLAMINGO (Phoenicopterus ruber ruber)

Caribbean flamingos are found in the Caribbean, parts of Central and South America, and the Galapagos Islands. The bird likes lagoons, muddy flats, and shallow lakes, and prefers saline water. These highly social birds reproduce in large colonies of several thousand individuals. Flamingos lay one white egg on top of the nest, a large mud mound with a concave top. Female and male flamingos take turns incubating the egg for about 28 days. Parents feed their chick with “milk,” a liquid secreted from the upper digestive tract. Flamingos eat small crustaceans, mollusks, algae, insects, and occasionally fish. They use their lamellae, a comb like filter in their bill, to sift food from water. Flamingos’ pink color comes from the carotenoids in their food. The Caribbean species, the brightest of all flamingos, perform displays such as wing salutes, twist-preening, and head flaggings in groups in order to synchronize breeding in a colony.

CARIBBEAN REEF SHARK (Carcharhinus perezi)

Found from Florida to Brazil, the Caribbean reef shark is a regular visitor to Cuba’s waters. Usually shy, reef sharks can become bold when fed by divers or anglers. They can smell a bleeding fish from great distances, and use other senses to home in on the vibrations and electrical fields created by prey and other living beings. The reef shark can grow to 9 feet in length.

CUBAN BROWN ANOLE (Anolis sagrei)

Cuban brown anoles are native to Cuba and throughout the Caribbean. They have been recently introduced to Florida, Georgia, and Hawaii, probably as stowaways on planes and ships. Brown anoles consume a wide variety of insects. Brown anoles breed every 1 to 2 weeks during the summer months. Males bob their heads when they are ready to breed; the female cocks her head so that a male can crab her with his mouth. About 2 weeks after mating, the female will lay one egg at a time, reaching a total of about 15 to 18 eggs over the breeding season. Eggs are buried in the warm, moist earth and hatch 6 to 8 weeks later. Brown anoles vary in color from gray to black, but females have a white stripe and a distinctive triangular pattern on their back. These lizards have a colored fold of skin on their neck called the dewlap. Male brown anoles spread their red-orange dewlaps during territorial aggression and courtship interactions.

CUBAN CROCODILE (Crocodylus rhombifer)

Once also found on other islands in the Caribbean, this rare crocodile is now limited to Cuba, where it lives in dense swamps. It can grow up to 13 feet long, and typically feeds on fish and crustaceans. It can also “leap” high out the water, with a push from its powerful tail, to grab hutia from their treetop perches. Biologists believe that fewer than 6,000 wild Cuban crocodiles remain, although others are raised on farms for their meat and hides.

CUBAN EMERALD HUMMINGBIRD (Chlorostilbon ricordii)

Cuban emerald hummingbirds are found in forests, coastal vegetation, and gardens in Cuba and the Bahamas. The Cuban emerald is bigger than its cousin, the bee hummingbird, and as a result feeds on a much larger array of blossoms. Because of this size difference, the two species have avoided competing with each other for food. Like other hummingbirds, male Cuban emeralds are smaller and more colorful than the females. Hummingbirds are the only birds in the world that can fly backwards, and their wings flap at 15 to 80 beats per second. Because hummingbirds sip from so many different flowers on any given day, they are integral to the process of pollination.

CUBAN HUTIA (Capromys pilorides)

Found on Cuba and nearby islands, this small, hairy-tailed rodent is an accomplished tree climber. It has 5 strong claws on each foot. But it spends plenty of time on the ground too, foraging for leaves, bark, small lizards, and insects. This food goes into an amazing 3-compartment stomach able to digest just about anything! Hutias typically prefer dense forests, and can live for up to 11 years in captivity.

CUBAN PARROT (Amazona leucocephala)

Cuban parrots are found in eastern and central Cuba, in the Cayman Islands, and in the Bahamas. They eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, as well as flowers and seeds. Cuban parrots have iridescent green feathers edged with black; the forehead, crown, and areas around the eyes are white; the cheeks and throat are red. Parrots mate for life and use the same nesting sites, typically holes made by woodpeckers or limestone cavities, year after year. These birds are known for their loud, raucous calls, especially during flight. The parrot is an endangered species throughout its entire range due to poaching and habitat loss.

CUBAN TODY (Todus multicolor)

Todies defend a tiny patch of forest, rarely leaving their wooded and semiwooded territories. They are endemic to Cuba and are known on the island as “cartacuba.” Female todies lay 3 to 4 eggs between the months of March and June. Parents feed their chicks up to 140 insects per day — making these young birds among the most frequently fed chicks in the world. Todies snatch caterpillars, spiders, and other kinds of insects off leaves. There are only five species of tody in the world, and all of them are found on Caribbean islands. The Cuban tody is the most colorful, with a blue throat, pink flanks, a yellow underbelly, and a green body. These birds dig tunnels in embankments or in hollow tree trunks for nests. The tunnel’s walls are covered with a sealant — a mixture of grass, lichen, algae, and feathers.

CUBAN TROGON (Priotelus temnurus)

The Cuban trogon is the national bird of Cuba and is found all over the island. These birds like wet and dry forests of all altitudes, and prefer the shade to the sun. They eat mostly flowers, fruits, and insects — and they can hover while feeding. Instead of building its own nest, the Cuban trogon occupies abandoned woodpecker holes or other preexisting crevices in trees. This colorful bird measures 10 to 11 inches from beak to tail. Trogons typically have a red belly, a green-colored back, a white underside, and a long fluffy tail. Locally the bird is referred to as the Tocororo, or Tocoloro, names derived from the sound of its call. Trogons usually travel in pairs, and their flying style is rather inelegant: with choppy, short flaps of their wings, they make considerable noise.

ELEUTHERODACTYLUS FROG (Eleutherodactylus iberia)

The Northern Hemisphere’s smallest frog has no common name and hops around the moist forests and swamps of Cuba’s Monte Iberia. It tends to be nocturnal and feeds on insects at night. Discovered in the 1990s, the tiny amphibian fits neatly on a dime — and its name, when typed out, is actually longer than the frog itself! Researchers say the discovery shows that many Cuban species remain to be classified. Perhaps there is even a smaller frog somewhere on the island.

GOLIATH GROUPER (Epinephelus itajara)

Goliath groupers like coral reefs, rocky ledges, and deep holes where they can hide. The fish range from the coast of the Carolinas through Florida and the Gulf of Mexico. The goliath grouper spawns during the summer months. These fish feed on crustaceans, especially the spiny lobster, and other fish. They use their sharp teeth to seize their prey, which are swallowed whole. This critically endangered fish is aptly named for its size — it can reach lengths of at least 8 feet and weigh up to 800 pounds, through most observed today are significantly smaller. To locate other groupers or to ward off enemies, the fish produce a rumbling sound that travels great distances underwater. Goliath groupers can live between 30 and 50 years and scientists believe the fish may change sex as they mature.

LUCIFUGA FISH (Lucifuga genus)

Although many of Cuba’s caves are dry, some are filled with fresh or brackish water, providing a home to several kinds of this unique cave fish. Adapted to the dark, the four species of Lucifuga fish found on Cuba have no eyes, and their skin has lost most pigment. As a result, Lucifuga can look like a ghost fish swimming through ink-black water. Sensitive to light, it often flees when approached by divers with bright flashlights.