Current view: Text account
Site description (2008 baseline):
Site location and context
Mil Cumbres IBA embraces a complex landscape within the
municipalities of Los Palacios, La Palma and Bahía Honda, in
Pinar del Río province. The landscape comprises agricultural
plains, karst valleys, mojotes, slate cliffs, sinkholes, sulphur
springs and hills, and includes the Sierra de los Órganos, Sierra
del Pan de Guajaibón, and the Cajálbana Plateau. The IBA
protects an important aquifer and the catchment areas of the
San Marcos and San Diego rivers.
This IBA supports 32 biome-restricted species, 15 of which are
Cuba endemics and 11 globally threatened birds. The
Endangered Blue-headed Quail-dove
Starnoenas cyanocephala,
Giant Kingbird
Tyrannus cubensis, and Gundlach’s Hawk
Accipiter gundlachi occur and the area is particularly important
for the Vulnerable Fernandina’s Flicker
Colaptes fernandinae,
and Near Threatened Painted Bunting
Passerina ciris, Cuban
Solitaire
Myadestes elisabeth, and Plain Pigeon
Patagioenas
inornata.
Non-bird biodiversity: The herpetofauna includes the Critically Endangered frog
Eleutherodactylus symingtoni and other Pinar del Río endemics Anolis vermiculatus and A. bartschi. Mammals include the
hutias Mysateles prehensilis and Capromys pilorides, and 10
bat species. Two locally endemic freshwater fish are also
present. Of a flora with 1,143 species, 52 are endemic to
Cajálbana and 24 to Sierra de la Güira.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Mil Cumbres IBA is a Managed Resources Protected Area
created in 1976. It is currently awaiting approval to be included
as a site of national significance in the National System of
Protected Areas. It is administered by the Empresa para la
Protección de la Flora y la Fauna (EPFF). Since the late
nineteenth century, this area has suffered from excessive forest
exploitation (for timber) and clearance of lands for agriculture
and livestock farming. Only the highest (least accessible) areas
have retained their forest cover. In spite of this, a species-rich
flora, diverse fauna, and attractive landscapes still remain in
the area. Among the main threats are illegal hunting and
logging, uncontrolled grazing, and the use of agrochemicals in
the tobacco plantations. The presence of nearby mineral
reserves and an active timber industry will maintain pressure
on the area.
Authors:HIRAM GONZÁLEZ, ARTURO KIRKCONNELL
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Mil Cumbres (Cuba). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/mil-cumbres-iba-cuba on 22/12/2024.
