Por Anylisec Grau Boffill 
The Flora and Fauna Company of Matanzas will celebrate its anniversary, inserted in conservation and study activities linked to decisive sectors of the Cuban economy such as tourism.
In one of the important protected areas of Matanzas, the Laguna de Maya, national and international visitors enjoy activities such as diving and snorkeling to appreciate the beauties of the Matanzas coral reefs.
Jordin Pratt, a Canadian tourist, assured that he had more than ten visits to the site with family and friends to observe the coral reef and its great variety of fish. «The workers are very insistent that visitors not touch the bottom or the corals, it is a very careful site,» Pratt said.
The Matancera Flora and Fauna Company ensures that these protected areas with public use, in addition to conservation actions, participate in important international initiatives such as the Ecovalor Project for the repopulation of coral reefs or the reforestation of forests in the river areas Canímar and the Maya Lagoon.
«In the Canímar river we already carried out a second monitoring of more than 800 hectares, where we studied their levels of degradation and the development of a management plan for these areas. We also carried out the reforestation campaign, with the formation of nurseries with the seeds to later replant them in the protected area”, explained Elién Domínguez, deputy director of the Flora and Fauna Company of Matanzas.
In the Laguna de Maya, an important wildlife refuge in the province, a new project is taking place together with Ecovalor which, since 2019, has achieved the repopulation of corals on the reefs near the north coast of Matanzas.
According to the diving instructor Michel Soto Pineda, they have more than seven repopulated sites thanks to the coral plantations in the nurseries. This initiative responds to the care of these species, very sensitive to climate change, cold fronts and cyclones.
“It is a very impressive place, even for us who see it every day, that is why we take great care of it and we are aware of any illegality such as fishing or indiscipline within this ecosystem,” explained the diving instructor.
Two years after the Matanzas Flora and Fauna Company was created, the conservation of these protected areas is a priority for its workers. Its actions also make it possible to offer national and international tourism non-invasive activities towards ecosystems, together with the dissemination of the importance of caring for the patrimonial history of the province and its nature and the demonstration of the benefits of intelligent and positive use of the environment atmosphere. (ALH)
Translated by Casterman Medina de Leon