• Submitted by: manso
• Business and Economy
• 10 / 04 / 2011

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2011.10.03 - 20:12:41.radiorebelde.icrt.cu.Holguin, Cuba.- One of the major concerns for Cuban specialists in the branch is Soil degradation, this is in fact one of the most pressing environmental challenges in the eastern province of Holguin, spanning across more than 9,300 square kilometers.

Ernesto Mastrapa, an specialists from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment’s office in Holguin told ACN soil degradation was the main cause leading to desertification.

More than half of the 929,300 hectares of agricultural land in Holguin are considered very little productive, while the rest are from little to highly productive, the specialist added.

In order to face the challenge ¬¬–he explained–a strategy based on the Law 81 on Environment has been drawn integrating principles and priorities for action.

The strategy includes efforts to stop the development of desertification processes in the Cauto River basin and the along the coastline of the province, giving priority to reforestation actions, which has resulted in 34 percent of the province being covered by forests.

Likewise, he said rehabilitating and recovering the productivity of soils damaged by the nickel mining activity in the municipalities of Mayari and Moa was a must. He said actions have been already taken over the last four years enabling the recovery of 1,034 hectares.

Mastrapa said an important water investment program is underway in the eastern region of the province to mitigate the effects of drought and stop erosive process and deforestation in the Mayari and Sagua rivers’ basins.

At the same time, environmental educational actions and for the spreading of green agriculture practices have been put into practice. (ACN)