16 April 2013: A UN Environment Programme (UNEP)-Global Environment Facility (GEF) Project, implemented by Bioversity International, will be officially launched in May to address issues of farming and biodiversity conservation within two Cuban “Man and the Biosphere Reserves.”

A diverse group of government departments and project partners met in April for their first planning meeting of the five year, “Agrobiodiversity Conservation and Man and the Biosphere Reserves in Cuba: Bridging Managed and Natural Landscapes Project.” The project was established based on the need to better understand how food is produced and agricultural biodiversity conserved in protected area systems, in order to develop sustainable socio-ecological production landscapes. The linking of agriculture with management of the reserves will help to achieve food sovereignty and increase agricultural resilience.

The project will be implemented in the Sierra del Rosario and Cuchillas del Toa Biosphere Reserves and Bioversity International will provide technical expertise and scientific support to government and local partners. It will seek to link national policy efforts with local management needs. Bioversity International is a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). [Bioversity International Press Release]