Ecobreves – CUBA: Crocs in Danger

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

HAVANA, May 12 2008 (IPS) - Experts are monitoring the potential effects of climate change on the reproductive process of the Cuban crocodile (Crocodylus rhombifer Cuvier), concentrated in the Ciénaga de Zapata, a wetland in the south of the western province of Matanzas. They are keeping an eye on the possible effects of warmer temperatures and variations in rainfall patterns on this endemic — and endangered — species, biologist Roberto Ramos told Tierramérica.

The nests depend on water levels: if there is a drought the eggs dry out, and if there is too much water they suffocate, he explained. “There is still no evidence of a problem, but it could come, and we are remaining alert.”

The issue will be taken up in a workshop on preservation of this crocodile species to be led by Cuban experts in Matanzas, May 12-17.