New Cuban seagrass project to be evaluated today

 

HAVANA, Cuba, May 19 (ACN) During a specialized workshop organized by the Environment Agency (AMA) of the Cuban Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment (CITMA), Cuban environmentalists will evaluate the potential of a new project called Thalassia testudinum—name of a species of marine seagrass—aimed at its conservation and sustainable use with a view to the development of anticancer compounds.

The four-year project counts on the cooperation of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and CITMA, among other entities, and AMA’s Institute of Marine Sciences (ICIMAR) is in charge of its deployment.

Thalassia… will contribute to improve the national regulatory framework for the implementation in the country of the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of the Benefits Arising from their Utilization, which Cuba signed in 2015.

One of the most common seagrass species in Caribbean coastlines, Thalassia testudinum provides protection against sea waves during extreme weather events and forms meadows which are important habitats and feeding grounds for fish and other marine species. Likewise, some of its components may have antioxidant, antiviral, antibacterial, antithrombotic, anti-inflammatory and anticarcinogenic effects, and they are also effective to treat acute skin damage caused by ultraviolet radiation.