The Cuban wetlands is a

flooded grasslands and savannas Flooded grasslands and savannas is a terrestrial biome of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) biogeographical system, consisting of large expanses or complexes of flooded grasslands. These areas support numerous plants and animals adapted to th ...

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...

on the island of

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

and nearby smaller islands. The ecoregion covers , about 4% of the island's area.

Geography

The Cuban wetlands are found on lowland floodplains on island's northern and southern (Caribbean) shores. Most are fringed with

mangroves A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen and remove sal ...

nearer to the sea. The largest wetland in Cuba is the

Zapata Swamp The Zapata Swamp (, ) is a swamp area located on the Zapata Peninsula in the southern Matanzas Province of Cuba, in the municipality of Ciénaga de Zapata. It is located less than southeast of Havana. Species and preservation Within the Zapata S ...

, located in southern

Matanzas Province Matanzas () is one of the provinces of Cuba. Major towns in the province include Cárdenas, Colón, Jovellanos and the capital of the same name, Matanzas. The resort town of Varadero is also located in this province. Among Cuban provinces, ...

, and extending west along the

Gulf of Batabanó The Gulf of Batabanó (; ), also called the Batabanó Gulf, is an inlet or strait off southwestern Cuba in the Caribbean Sea, separating mainland Cuba from the Isle of Youth. Overview The gulf's northern border begins at the southern coast of ...

into southern Havana Province. Zapata Swamp has an area of 450 km. It lies between 22º01’ and 22º40’ N latitude and 80º33’ and 82º09’ W longitude in southern Matanzas province. The swamp extends 175 km east and west from Punta Gorda to Jagua, with an average width of 14 to 16 km, reaching a maximum width of 58 km from southern Torriente to Cayo Miguel. Other wetlands along Cuba's southern shore include Pesquero Lake and

Alcatraz Grande Lagoon Alcatraz Island () is a small island about 1.25 miles offshore from San Francisco in San Francisco Bay, California, near the Golden Gate Strait. The island was developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fo ...

in the western province of

Pinar del Río Pinar del Río is the capital city of Pinar del Río Province, Cuba. With a population of 191,081 (2022), it is the List of cities in Cuba, 10th-largest city in Cuba. Inhabitants of the area are called ''Pinareños''. History Pinar del Río was ...

, around the Gulf of Ana María in Ciego de Ávila and Camagüey provinces, and Birama Inlet and Leonero Lagoon along the Gulf of Guacanayabo. On the northern shore, the larger wetlands are around the Bay of Santa Clara in Matanzas Province, and around Laguna de Leche in Ciego de Ávila Province. Lanier Swamp is on the Isle of Youth, which lies south of the Cuban mainland.

Flora

Plant communities include floating vegetation in areas of deeper water, permanently and seasonally flooded grasslands, and swamp forests.

Fauna

The

Zapata wren The Zapata wren (''Ferminia cerverai'') is a medium-sized grayish-brown bird that lives in dense shrubs of the Zapata Swamp, Cuba. It is the only member of the monotypical genus ''Ferminia'', which is endemic to Cuba and endangered. This species ...

or ferminia (''Fermina cerverai'') and the

Zapata rail The Zapata rail (''Mustelirallus cerverai'', syn.: ''Cyanolimnas cerverai'') is a medium-sized, dark-coloured Rallidae, rail. It has brown upperparts, greyish-blue underparts, a red-based yellow Beak, bill, white undertail Covert (feather), cov ...

(''Cyanolimnas cerverai'') are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to the Zapata Swamp. The

Zapata sparrow The Zapata sparrow (''Torreornis inexpectata'') is a medium-sized grey and yellow bird that lives in the grasslands of the Zapata Swamp and elsewhere on the island of Cuba. Measuring about in length, it is grey and yellow overall with a dark red ...

(''Torreornis inexpectata'') lives in the Zapata Swamp and adjacent forests and cactus scrub.

Protected areas

3,306 km, or 59%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas, including Ciénaga de Zapata Biosphere Reserve.

References

External links

* {{WWF ecoregion , id=nt0902, name=Cuban wetlands
Cuban wetlands (DOPA)

Cuban wetlands (Encyclopedia of Earth)
Ecoregions of the Caribbean Ecoregions of Cuba Flooded grasslands and savannas Neotropical ecoregions