Caguanes National Park

Caguanes National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Caguanes) is a national park in Cuba. It is located in the Yaguajay municipality in the northern part of Sancti Spíritus Province, on the northern (Atlantic) coast of Cuba.

Caguanes National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Location of Caguanes National Park in Cuba
Location	Cuba
Nearest city	Yaguajay
Coordinates	22°22′47″N 79°07′45″W
Area	204.87 km2 (79.10 sq mi)[1]

It is established around the Caguanes peninsula and includes 10 small cays (Cayos de Piedra) that reach out in the Bay of Buena Vista (a Ramsar Convention site), as well as the Guayaberas swamps and mangroves. The park covers an area of 204.87 km² (79.10 sq mi).^[1]

Conservation

The coastal landscape is characterized by caves, arches and niches that open to the sea. A total of 79 caves were numbered in the area.^[2]

The ecosystem consists of more than 200 species, 24 of them endemic.^[2] 112 species of birds nest in the marsh and coastal area. A large population of mariposa bats is present in the Tres Dolinas cave. A decline in migratory aquatic birds (spoonbills, flamingos, pelicans) nesting in the marshes was registered here. The closure of three sugar mills reduced the pollution in swamps and bay, and numbers were increasing as of 2007.^[3]

35 archeology sites are also conserved here, most of them representing cave dwellers. Cave murals can be found in the partially submerged cave system.^[4]

References

1. National Protected Areas System of Cuba. "Protected Areas". Archived from the original on 10 August 2007. Retrieved 10 October 2007.
2. Radio Habana. "Yaguajay y el Parque Nacional Caguanes" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 4 October 2007. Retrieved 10 October 2007.
3. Cuba News Headlines (March 2007). "Better ecosystem in Caguanes National Park". Retrieved 10 October 2007.
4. Cuban Department of Tourism. "Parque Nacional Caguanes" (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 October 2007.