Photo: CadenagramonteHavana, Apr 26 - Miguel Díaz- Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and president of the Republic, reported today on Twitter about a large forest fire in the Alejandro de Humboldt National Park, located in the provinces of Holguín and Guantánamo.
The president specified that, for a few days, forces of the Ranger Corps and environmental authorities of those territories of eastern Cuba have been fighting the sinestro.
"For a few days, forces from the Ranger Corps and environmental authorities from Holguín and Guantánamo have been fighting a fire of great magnitude in areas of the Alejandro de Humboldt National Park, an important site for the conservation of #Cuba's biodiversity," tweeted the Chief of State.
The Alejandro de Humboldt National Park covers an area of 79,680 hectares, and is the most important protected natural area in Cuba, with levels of biodiversity and endemism that are the highest in the Antilles and are among the highest in the world.
Declared a World Heritage Site in 2001, this place has the largest remnant of the mountain ecosystems preserved in the country.
The Fire Management Department of the Forest Ranger Corps (CGC) of Cuba warned last March that from January to date 94 fires had occurred in the country, damaging 818.88 hectares of natural and planted forests.
On that occasion, the CGC indicated that only two conflagrations had occurred in the province of Guantánamo, which, however, affected an area of 342.10 hectares.
The reasons for these fires were attributed to multi-purpose burning, spark-free vehicle traffic, fisherman-poachers, irresponsible smokers, and bystanders. (Cadenagramonte)
