The illegal extraction of sand for industry from the natural barrier that separates the sea from the Toa River, Cuba's biggest, threatens the ecosystem in the area of the eastern city of Baracoa. A permit to remove 1,000 cubic meters of sand from the site per year expired in May 2006, but the activity continues clandestinely, “often using trucks and equipment from state agencies,” reported the government-run newspaper Granma on Oct. 30.

Tomás Rivera Amarán, director of the Environmental Inspection and Control Center, confirmed for Tierramérica that environmental legislation prohibits further removal of sand until a new study certifies that it would not harm the ecosystem.

The local government can enforce the law and propose more rigorous environmental standards, he added.