Areas affected by forest fire in eastern Cuba are in recovery

HOLGUIN, Cuba, Jan 16 (ACN) The areas affected by the fire in Pinares de Mayari, in the municipality of the same name in Holguin province, are already showing signs of recovery from natural regeneration and the actions carried out in the damaged perimeter.

The loss lasted 25 days between February 19 and March 15, 2023 and covered more than 13,900 hectares in the high plateau of Pinares de Mayari and the eastern, western and southern slopes of Sierra de Nipe.

Geovany Zeldivar Martinez, head of the Natural Resources Department of the Territorial Delegation of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, told the Cuban News Agency that reforestation works have been carried out with endemic species, together with forestry and flora and fauna companies.
He emphasized that this objective is complemented by the creation of specialized nurseries at the Integral Mountain Research Station and the Botanical Garden for the reproduction of the most vulnerable varieties.

The expert indicated that the natural recovery, after the rains, has been favorable in the regeneration of plant formations and the return to their habitat of the varieties of fauna that took refuge in safe places to escape the heat.

Currently, research in the damaged areas, carried out through field work and the use of satellite images, recommends controlling the overpopulation of ferns and the continuity of studies of the damaged area for a period of 10 years.

More than 85 % of the forest fires in Cuba are mainly caused by human action, due to the burning of pastures, poaching and the irresponsibility of passers-by, while only 8 % come from natural causes such as electrical discharges.

In the specific case of Pinares de Mayari, the primary outbreak began on February 19 last year in pasture fields of Vaqueria 14, located north of the settlement of Vivero dos, although the possibility that there were secondary outbreaks in other parts of the sierra and that they finally converged in a very large area affected has not been ruled out.