CUBA : eco discovery map : nature smart

Cuba’s place in history and its thriving wildlife found nowhere else are testament to its strategic location— where the Caribbean Sea, Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico converge. Strict environmental laws, low population and the absence of capitalist development—and materialism—helped preserve the fragile balance between people, the land and sea.

Scientists claim it’s like being in the Florida keys 150 years ago—abundant endemic flora and fauna, flourishing coral reefs patrolled by giant groupers and schools of sharks. An accidental Eden? Not exactly. Stringent government rules combined with an organic agriculture —due to a lack of fertilizers—have preserved Cuba as a living laboratory of endemic riches and agricultural sustainability. The limited number of cars and boats together with the absence of conspicuous consumption have conspired to conserve the environment. Cuba did something radically different and could become the model of how to do it right ecologically. An oppo