Current view: Text account
Site description (2008 baseline):
Site location and context
Sierra del Rosario IBA is located to the east of Cordillera de
Guaniguanico, in the municipalities of Artemisa, Candelaria,
and Bahía Honda, straddling the border between Pinar del
Río and Havana provinces. Las Peladas Natural Reserve and
El Salón Ecological Reserve comprise the core zone of the
biosphere reserve. The IBA boundaries are the same as those
of the biosphere reserve. The reserve’s eastern entrance is
located 50 km south-west of Havana. The IBA supports 4,800
people in eight communities, one of which, Las Terrazas has
developed a sustainable rural economy and is also an
ecotourism centre. There are remains of seventeenth century
French coffee plantations around Las Terrazas.
This IBA is home to 93 bird species (32 of which are biome restricted
species), including 16 Cuba endemics and 10 globally
threatened birds. These threatened species include the
Endangered Blue-headed Quail-dove
Starnoenas
cyanocephala, Giant Kingbird
Tyrannus cubensis and
Gundlach’s Hawk
Accipiter gundlachi, the Vulnerable
Fernandina’s Flicker
Colaptes fernandinae and the Near
Threatened Northern Bobwhite
Colinus virginianus and White-crowned
Pigeon
Patagioenas leucocephala.
Non-bird biodiversity: Mammals include the endemic hutias Capromys pilorides and
Mysateles prehensilis, and 11 species of bats. The lizards Anolis
vermiculatus, A. bartschi, and A. mestrei are endemic to the
Pinar del Río karst, and five amphibians are also local endemics.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Sierra del Rosario IBA was the first biosphere reserve to be
declared in Cuba (in 1985). The core zones of Las Peladas and
El Salón were approved by the government in 2008. Farming is
fundamental to the livelihoods of the reserve’s residents. Activities
in the transition zone include cattle ranching, forestry, mixed
crops, tourism (around Las Terrazas and Soroa), and
conservation. However, the core zones are limited to research,
monitoring, and environmental education. Sustainable livelihood
practices are implemented in this IBA, in particular by the Las
Terrazas community. Threats include illegal hunting and
logging, forest fires, erosion, and pollution caused by untreated
discharges from pig and poultry farms. Access to the zone is
still regulated, but very large numbers of visitors have been
reported at camp sites. The reserve has also been affected by
the construction of two large dams in the transition zone.
Authors: ALINA PÉREZ, HIRAM GONZÁLEZ, FIDEL HERNÁNDEZ
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Sierra del Rosario (Cuba). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/sierra-del-rosario-iba-cuba on 22/12/2024.
