The shells of colorful snails, endemic to the island, are sold on the internet for up to 200 dollars.
14ymedio, Havana, 6 August 2025 — Like many other sectors in crisis on the island, the loss of biodiversity has proved to be another sensitive issue that attracts international aid to the satisfaction of the regime. If the species are also endemic, it is likely that more resources and funds will be allocated. This is the case of the Cuban crocodile, whose protection has prompted a fund-raising effort by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
The campaign, called See you in a while, crocodile – based on the English expression See you later, alligator – will begin this coming October and is aimed at ensuring “the survival of the Cuban crocodile,” which is “threatened by human action on the ecosystem, climate change and other factors.”
According to the official UNDP website, “donations will make it possible to purchase satellite tags and place them on the crocodiles to monitor their movements, as well as develop educational activities that strengthen their protection in local communities.”
The program specifies that the tags will allow the study of their patterns of movement, habitat use and areas of activity, which will facilitate the planning of actions to conserve the ecosystem. They will also help identify suitable sites for releasing captive-bred crocodiles, which would increase their chances of survival.
The initiative will also seek to strengthen collaboration with local communities, promoting educational activities that integrate residents of the Zapata Swamp in the protection of the ecosystem. “With your support, we will be able to closely follow the Cuban crocodiles in their natural habitat and better understand how to protect them,” concludes the campaign.
The initiative will also seek to strengthen collaboration with local communities, promoting educational activities.
The project is led by two specialists: biologist Etiam Pérez and veterinarian Gustavo Sosa, who, according to UNDP, have years of experience working with crocodiles. They will be responsible for the placement of satellite tags and for coordinating research, education and conservation actions that can be carried out thanks to donor contributions.
Hopefully, the funds will help to improve the quality of life of the species and extend the project, a result of an alliance between the Group of Specialists in Crocodiles of Cuba (GECC), the Company for the Conservation of the Ciénaga de Zapata, the Antonio Núñez Jiménez Foundation for Nature and Man (FANJ), and the UNDP representation in Cuba. The activities are also supported by the global Biofin initiative, coordinated in the country by the Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment.
The Cuban crocodiles are not only a unique species of the island, but its ecosystem, close to the beaches of the south coast of Matanzas and several tourist enclaves -the breeding farm itself being one of them- has exposed them to constant human contact. Under more or less precarious conditions, crocodiles are bred in the Zapata Swamp, where they can be visited by national and international tourists, who can even taste their meat – a luxury that mostly foreigners can afford.
But the Cuban crocodile is not the only endemic species at risk for which the state receives funds and aid. In the east of the country, snails known as polymites are at risk due to climate change, habitat loss and, above all, illegal trafficking of their shells, coveted for their natural beauty and colors. A conservation study between the University of Oriente and the British University of Nottingham attempts to prevent their disappearance.
According to Cubadebate, which quotes a BBC report, there have been sales on the internet of polymite shells from the United Kingdom for more than 200 dollars, although their extraction from Cuba without permission is illegal, according to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites).
Among the most threatened, adds the official newspaper, is the variety sulphurosa, which has green hues with blue, orange and yellow bands. “Its beauty attracts people who collect and trade in shells. The same thing that makes them interesting as scientists is also putting them at risk,” explains Angus Davison, a geneticist at the University of Nottingham involved in the conservation project.
Of the approximately 36,700 species listed in Cuba, 35% are endangered.
The collaboration, also led by conservation biologist Bernardo Reyes-Tur, seeks to understand the genetic evolution of these species and preserve their diversity. While genetic research is being carried out in Nottingham, the work in Cuba is done “in a hot climate to try to breed snails in captivity,” a process still in the experimental phase, but which specialists believe is on track.
Cuba is facing an alarming crisis of biodiversity loss: of the approximately 36,700 species listed, 35% are endangered, and it is estimated that up to 75% of mammals could disappear. Plants are also severely affected: 580 plant species are critically endangered, along with 16 amphibian species. In addition, 70% of amphibians, of which 71 species are identified (94% endemic) on the island, are threatened.
This deterioration is mainly due to illegal hunting, intensive agriculture, mining, deforestation and pollution, which has eroded natural habitats and drastically reduced local fauna. However, the attention of the state also plays an essential part in a context of economic crisis, where the enjoyment of tourists is prioritized over the protection of natural reserves.
Even the official data confirm the state’s inability and lack of resources to protect endangered species. In the Zapata Swamp, they have come to admit, the number of rangers is insufficient.
In 2020, 14ymedio published an article on social indifference to the silent environmental crisis in Cuba. This newspaper then denounced the predation of polymites for their use in handicrafts and their illegal trade, despite being protected.
Translated by Regina Anavy
____________
COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.