Evaluación de impactos a la salud del manglar en el municipio Guamá, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba

The aim of this study was to characterize the health status of mangroves in the Guamá municipality in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. The methodology included the evaluation of the physiognomic aspects of the forest and its health index. Seventy-eight interviews were conducted with people of settlements neighboring the areas studied in order to assess the knowledge and community behavior regarding the mangroves. Fourteen environmental stressors were identified, among which are reported for the first time in Cuban studies, the sedimentation or accretion of sediments, as well as road construction, the advance of the agricultural frontier, cattle ranching, timber extraction and illegal logging. It is concluded that the health of the nine mangroves studied ranged from very high to low, according to the number of environmental stressors in each one. A total of 85% of environmental stressors in the area are of human origin, specifically related to socioeconomic development, while 15% are related to natural events. Finally, ecosystem health in the Guamá municipality is low, in spite of which they still maintain their environmental services.El objetivo del presente artículo fue caracterizar el estado de salud de los manglares en el municipio Guamá, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. Se evaluaron aspectos fisonómicos del bosque y su índice de salud. Se realizaron 78 entrevistas a personas en los asentamientos próximos a las áreas estudiadas para evaluar el conocimiento y comportamiento comunitario sobre los manglares. Se identificaron 14 tensores ambientales entre los cuales se documenta por primera vez en los estudios cubanos la sedimentación o acreción de sedimentos además de la construcción de viales, el avance de la frontera agrícola, la ganadería, la extracción de madera y la tala furtiva. Se concluye que, en los nueve manglares estudiados, la salud varió de muy alta a baja de acuerdo con el número de tensores ambientales en cada uno de ellos. De los tensores ambientales en la zona, 85% son de origen antrópico, específicamente relacionado con el desarrollo socioeconómico y 15% relacionado con eventos naturales. De manera general, la salud del ecosistema en el municipio Guamá es baja, a pesar de lo cual mantienen sus servicios ambientales

Environmental Policy and Regulatory Framework for Managing Mangroves as a Carbon Sink in Cuba

Carbon stored in mangroves is valuable for climate change mitigation. Managing the carbon stored in the mangrove requires an adequate legal framework and an environmental policy. In Cuba, there is little research on the capacity of mangroves to retain carbon and its articulation in environmental policy and management. In the present study, the following research question is raised: Is there a favorable context in the environmental policy to manage the mangrove as a carbon reservoir in Cuba? The aim of this research is to identify aspects of environmental policy, legal and administrative frameworks related to managing mangroves as a carbon sink in Cuba. The qualitative method of social research, the content analysis technique, and the modified Ibero-American Network for Integrated Coastal Management (IBERMAR) decalogue were used to compile, understand, and discuss the potential for effective management of mangroves for carbon storage. One hundred and twenty-one articles published in WOS and Scopus databases between 2019 and 2022, as well as books and material reviewed on the official websites, were checked. Present policy in Cuba manages mangroves for coastal protection and other ecosystem services but lacks a developed plan for considering the role of this marine forest system as a carbon sink. Managing mangroves as a carbon reservoir will require vigorous efforts to measure and monitor the system. It is necessary to build a robust national political agenda and strengthen institutional and regulatory capacities. This research provides a systematization of environmental policy as a baseline for the management of carbon reservoirs in mangroves in Cuba