Ecobreves – CUBA: Promoting Tourism in the Zapata Marsh

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HAVANA, Sep 21 2009 (IPS) - Cuba has decided to boost the tourism profile of the Zapata Marsh, the Caribbean's largest wetland, but is implementing a strategy to ensure the preservation of this rich ecosystem, located 156 kilometers southeast of Havana. “What we want is not size, but sustainability,” said Pablo Bouza, director of the Zapata Marsh Nature Park, a protected area that is home to 115 endemic plant species, 258 bird species, 16 amphibians and 36 reptiles, among other natural riches.

“There are plans for appropriate management so that public use does not cause harm to the ecosystem's natural reserves,” he told Tierramérica. The marsh was declared a Biosphere Reserve in 2000 and a wetland of international importance in 2001 by the Ramsar Convention.

The Zapata Marsh served as the venue Sep. 14-18 of the 7th International Nature Tourism Event.