blindpig
01-16-2010, 05:53 AM
Cuban rice fields: alternative habitat for some 100 species of birds
Researchers from the Faculty of Biology at the University of Havana publish a book which brings together 25 years of studies into these animals.
BY LILLIAM RIERA —Granma International staff writer—
ALMOST 100 species of aquatic birds use the island’s rice fields as an alternative habitat in the face of a reduction and degradation of natural wetlands.
Authors of the research. From left to right, Antonio Rodríguez; el Doctor Dennis Denis; Dr. Lourdes Mugica; Ariam Jiménez y Dr. Martín Acosta.
The wetlands, (which include marshland and swamps, both coastal and inland), are extremely fragile and vulnerable ecosystems which provide valuable services to mankind: protection against hurricanes, water storage, flood control and which are home to a significant biological diversity.
A group of researchers from the Faculty of Biology at the University of Havana (UH), led by Dr. Lourdes Mugica, has just launched a beautiful book entitled Aves acuáticas en los humedales de Cuba (Aquatic birds in the wetlands of Cuba), which brings together 25 years of studies into these animals.
The text emphasizes how rice fields have been transformed into important sites in terms of food, nest-building and homes for these birds which, at the same time, benefit this crop by eating a large amount of potential menaces: unwanted invertebrates and plants.
These include the heron, the glossy ibis, the fulvous whistling-duck, the black-necked stilt, the least sandpiper, the mourning dove, as well of 13 out of 25 species of ducks registered on the island. Some are migratory birds that fly to Cuba from North America, such as Florida duck, the Northern pintail duck and the Northern shoveler.
The 200-page book has a popular scientific slant and has been written in an entertaining style, given that the aim is for it to be understood by all sectors of the population.
“From the start, this is a book “to fall in love with” for its presentation – I would go as far as to say that it is unique – and a fascinating content. (…) I would particularly like to highlight the fact that the book contains no “recycled” information. Apart from some general and basic details, the rest of the information is the original work of the authors, demonstrating the enormous effort and the years they have devoted to this research, as well as the depth of their knowledge and experience. It would be a difficult task for other people to emulate this work,” stated Montserrat Carbonell, director of the Latin American and Caribbean program at Ducks Unlimited, an organization dedicated to the conservation of duck populations and their habitats, in a letter to the authors, dated September 24, 2006 in Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
To this and other missives, some even sent by people who have little knowledge on the subject but who have read and enjoyed the book, can be added Granma International thanks to the kindness of Dr. Lourdes Mugica.
The book contains 291 photos (86% of them original and taken by the authors themselves), 120 illustrations (thanks to the kindness of Herbert Rafaelle, who gave permission to use his drawings from the Birds of the West Indies guidebook), 48 figures of a scientific nature to facilitate understanding of the text, 20 original paintings by two Cuban artists, Nils Navarro and Rolando Rodríguez, as well as a fold-out guide at the end and tables containing the results of the research.
Dr. Mugica explained that a donation by the British NGOs, the Whitley Fund for Nature, Birdlife International and the British Birdwatching Fair allowed them to publish 1,500 copies and improve the quality of presentation.
Likewise, 240 copies of the book have been distributed, free of charge, by the Científico-Técnica publishers to all the libraries in Cuba; another 100 have been presented to institutions attached to the Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment, museums, organizations linked to the protection of flora, fauna and the environment. The book will also be used for training purposes for professionals working in this sphere.
The professor recalled that the publication of the book has fulfilled the final objective of the project “Rice fields and wetlands as units of conservation for aquatic birds in Cuba”.
This three-year project involved research into and the monitoring of birds linked to the rice fields in Los Palacios in Pinar del Rio and Sur del Jíbaro in Sancti Spíritus (around 100 hundred species use these areas as a substitute for natural wetlands), as well as the Ciénaga de Birama in Granma, the second largest wetland in Cuba and the Caribbean, covering some 57,048 hectares.
The study has allowed the three zones to be classified by Birdlife International as Important Bird Areas (IBAs).
The project also gave rise to the creation of the group’s Guía de las Aves Comunes en los Humedales de Cuba (Guide to Common Birds in the Wetlands of Cuba), the first of its kind to be in written in Cuba and in Spanish. Already 800 copies have been distributed to schools, libraries and protected areas.
It has also led to the development of two environmental education campaigns in rice-growing areas (La Sierpe, in Sancti Spíritus, and Los Palacios, in Pinar del Río), in which 8,000 people are taking part.
Wetlands International, a worldwide non-profit making organization dedicated to the conservation and sustainable use of wetland areas, joined the other three aforementioned NGOs in providing finances for these campaigns.
A SECOND AWARD FROM THE WHITLEY FUND FOR NATURE
Dr. Mugica informed GI that in June 2005, and taking into account the results obtained by the recently-concluded project, the Whitley Fund for Nature has awarded the group a second prize worth £30,000 that came into effect this year and will allow the group to continue the work they have started by studying bird communities inhabiting other Cuban wetlands and carry on with its environmental education work.
The new project will focus on three other wetlands: the marshlands in Zapata in the province of Matanzas - the largest of its kind in the Caribbean, at 452,000 hectares – that of Río Máximo, in Camagüey, and Picúas Cayo Cristo, north of Villa Clara.
According to the professor, they are intending to hold training workshops and environmental education campaigns that will culminate in the publication of another book of this kind.
http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2006/noviembre/mar14/46aves.html
Researchers from the Faculty of Biology at the University of Havana publish a book which brings together 25 years of studies into these animals.
BY LILLIAM RIERA —Granma International staff writer—
ALMOST 100 species of aquatic birds use the island’s rice fields as an alternative habitat in the face of a reduction and degradation of natural wetlands.
Authors of the research. From left to right, Antonio Rodríguez; el Doctor Dennis Denis; Dr. Lourdes Mugica; Ariam Jiménez y Dr. Martín Acosta.
The wetlands, (which include marshland and swamps, both coastal and inland), are extremely fragile and vulnerable ecosystems which provide valuable services to mankind: protection against hurricanes, water storage, flood control and which are home to a significant biological diversity.
A group of researchers from the Faculty of Biology at the University of Havana (UH), led by Dr. Lourdes Mugica, has just launched a beautiful book entitled Aves acuáticas en los humedales de Cuba (Aquatic birds in the wetlands of Cuba), which brings together 25 years of studies into these animals.
The text emphasizes how rice fields have been transformed into important sites in terms of food, nest-building and homes for these birds which, at the same time, benefit this crop by eating a large amount of potential menaces: unwanted invertebrates and plants.
These include the heron, the glossy ibis, the fulvous whistling-duck, the black-necked stilt, the least sandpiper, the mourning dove, as well of 13 out of 25 species of ducks registered on the island. Some are migratory birds that fly to Cuba from North America, such as Florida duck, the Northern pintail duck and the Northern shoveler.
The 200-page book has a popular scientific slant and has been written in an entertaining style, given that the aim is for it to be understood by all sectors of the population.
“From the start, this is a book “to fall in love with” for its presentation – I would go as far as to say that it is unique – and a fascinating content. (…) I would particularly like to highlight the fact that the book contains no “recycled” information. Apart from some general and basic details, the rest of the information is the original work of the authors, demonstrating the enormous effort and the years they have devoted to this research, as well as the depth of their knowledge and experience. It would be a difficult task for other people to emulate this work,” stated Montserrat Carbonell, director of the Latin American and Caribbean program at Ducks Unlimited, an organization dedicated to the conservation of duck populations and their habitats, in a letter to the authors, dated September 24, 2006 in Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
To this and other missives, some even sent by people who have little knowledge on the subject but who have read and enjoyed the book, can be added Granma International thanks to the kindness of Dr. Lourdes Mugica.
The book contains 291 photos (86% of them original and taken by the authors themselves), 120 illustrations (thanks to the kindness of Herbert Rafaelle, who gave permission to use his drawings from the Birds of the West Indies guidebook), 48 figures of a scientific nature to facilitate understanding of the text, 20 original paintings by two Cuban artists, Nils Navarro and Rolando Rodríguez, as well as a fold-out guide at the end and tables containing the results of the research.
Dr. Mugica explained that a donation by the British NGOs, the Whitley Fund for Nature, Birdlife International and the British Birdwatching Fair allowed them to publish 1,500 copies and improve the quality of presentation.
Likewise, 240 copies of the book have been distributed, free of charge, by the Científico-Técnica publishers to all the libraries in Cuba; another 100 have been presented to institutions attached to the Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment, museums, organizations linked to the protection of flora, fauna and the environment. The book will also be used for training purposes for professionals working in this sphere.
The professor recalled that the publication of the book has fulfilled the final objective of the project “Rice fields and wetlands as units of conservation for aquatic birds in Cuba”.
This three-year project involved research into and the monitoring of birds linked to the rice fields in Los Palacios in Pinar del Rio and Sur del Jíbaro in Sancti Spíritus (around 100 hundred species use these areas as a substitute for natural wetlands), as well as the Ciénaga de Birama in Granma, the second largest wetland in Cuba and the Caribbean, covering some 57,048 hectares.
The study has allowed the three zones to be classified by Birdlife International as Important Bird Areas (IBAs).
The project also gave rise to the creation of the group’s Guía de las Aves Comunes en los Humedales de Cuba (Guide to Common Birds in the Wetlands of Cuba), the first of its kind to be in written in Cuba and in Spanish. Already 800 copies have been distributed to schools, libraries and protected areas.
It has also led to the development of two environmental education campaigns in rice-growing areas (La Sierpe, in Sancti Spíritus, and Los Palacios, in Pinar del Río), in which 8,000 people are taking part.
Wetlands International, a worldwide non-profit making organization dedicated to the conservation and sustainable use of wetland areas, joined the other three aforementioned NGOs in providing finances for these campaigns.
A SECOND AWARD FROM THE WHITLEY FUND FOR NATURE
Dr. Mugica informed GI that in June 2005, and taking into account the results obtained by the recently-concluded project, the Whitley Fund for Nature has awarded the group a second prize worth £30,000 that came into effect this year and will allow the group to continue the work they have started by studying bird communities inhabiting other Cuban wetlands and carry on with its environmental education work.
The new project will focus on three other wetlands: the marshlands in Zapata in the province of Matanzas - the largest of its kind in the Caribbean, at 452,000 hectares – that of Río Máximo, in Camagüey, and Picúas Cayo Cristo, north of Villa Clara.
According to the professor, they are intending to hold training workshops and environmental education campaigns that will culminate in the publication of another book of this kind.
http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2006/noviembre/mar14/46aves.html