subject: The Marine Biodiversity Of Cuba [print this page] Cuba - Peninsula of Guanahacabibes - has been chosen as a base for a research project conducted by Cuban and Spanish Scientists from the Cuban Oceanology Institute and the Spanish University of Oviedo. The Research project intends to widen the documentation of marine life in Cuba. Other areas to be explored are the Cienaga de Zapata near Bay of Pigs and Jardines de La Reina also celebrated for their rich bio diversity.
Jesus Ortega a Spanish Biologist and Professor of the University of Oviedo in an interview conducted by Prensa Latina affirmed that they will keep researching on the west of Cuba where around 700 species are still pending for classification. So far in the area 50 specimens have been acknowledged as new species.
One of the most significant discoveries in the region is the striking Emiliotia Inmaculatus (tiny mollusck with semi-transparent shell) and the Cubalaskeya Machoi both found at Cueva Pedro( undersea cavern almost 33 meters under sea level).
Similar marine life can be found in the Bahamas and the south coast of Florida with extreme bio-diversity such as the one found in Guanahacabibes.
Peninsula de Guanahacabibes has so far been responsible for the findings of 50 percent of all mollusk varieties found in Cuba. This zone was declared a protected area of the Biosphere in the late 1980 and the least spoilt part of Cuba in terms of Tourism.
This a is a territory in Cuba with the most vivid natural resources, with a huge variety of species yet to be documented said Cuban ecologist Jose Espinosa, and continued - Cuba might be a centre for plankton larvae that could favour the most needed healing the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean sea.
In the whole of Penisula de Guanahacabibes there is just one tourist resort called Maria la Gorda famous among snorkellers and divers but with restrictions in the way humans interact with the environment.
