Illegal trade in biodiversity species on the rise

HAVANA, Cuba, Jun 23 (ACN) The Office of Environmental Regulation and Security (ORSA) denounced in Havana the increase in recent years of the illegal trade of valuable species.

Their demand is due to their use as pets, the consumption of their meat, in the manufacturing of handicrafts, and in certain religious practices, Jorge Alvarez Alvarez, General Director of the institution, told ACN.

“The main targeted species are birds (parrots, blue jays, mockingbirds, hawks and kestrels); mollusks (magpie shells, queen conches and polymites); reptiles (crocodiles, loggerheads, turtles); mammals (hutias and manatees); and fish (parrotfishes, manta rays, and some types of sharks),” he said.

“For these reasons,” he added, “the Cuban authorities approved in March 2020 the Governmental Plan for the prevention and confrontation of crimes and illegal acts against forest resources, wild flora and fauna, and other natural resources.”

Since then, the penalties for such events have been reinforced, especially with the recent animal welfare legislation, which also deals with species of special significance and increased the fines to be imposed.

However, the Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment (CITMA) has its own plan and, since 2020, ORSA plays an important role in the fight against such crimes with the establishment of offices across Cuba.

“In 2011, in line with CITMA Resolution 160, the regulations regarding species of special significance to Cuba's biological diversity were improved, taking into account factors such as level of threat, ecological role, and commercial pressure, as well as their inclusion in international agreements that Cuba has signed,” he remarked. “ORSA rules over the reproduction in captivity of these species.”

The director considers prevention as the most important aspect of this work, because when these crimes are committed the harm is already done, be it a tree that someone cut down or an animal that someone killed, so neither will ever return to their natural environment.

Do not become accomplices, he recommends those who buy these species from the poachers seeking to profit from them. “It is essential to educate our children in the love and respect for nature, the care of urban green spaces, biodiversity protection, and the love for animals, be they environmentally protected or not.”

Many migratory species that Cuba shares with other countries of the continent and has the obligation to protect are captured and are exposed, and this in turn exposes us, to zoonotic diseases (transmitted by biological agents carried by the animals), as has happened with the last epidemics and the current pandemic.

"Our generation,” he pointed out, “is duty-bound to take care of our animals and plants to bequeath them to our children and grandchildren. As our National Hero José Martí said, ´The world bleeds unceasingly from the crimes committed against nature´."