Scientists Work To Protect Cuba's Unspoiled Reefs

Discussion in 'Environmental' started by Matt Rogers, Dec 12, 2009.

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  1. Matt Rogers

    Matt Rogers Kingfish

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    Berkeley, CA
    The pic in this article is about to become my desktop. Awe inspiring. Glad to know places like this still exist.

    December 8, 2009 Cuba has some the most extensive coral reefs in the hemisphere, but political strains between Washington and Havana largely have kept American scientists away.
    A new partnership for marine research is trying to change that at one of Cuba's most remote places, far from people and pollution.
    It's really a time machine here in Cuba. And we've got another chance to look at these reefs the way they used to be.

    - Scientist David Guggenheim of The Ocean Foundation

    Off of central Cuba's southern coast, hundreds of tiny islands stretch into the Caribbean. They are ringed with narrow beaches and thick stands of red mangrove.
    When Christopher Columbus arrived here, he named the area Los Jardines de la Reina — The Queen's Gardens. Five centuries later, there isn't a single town or road or permanent human presence.
    The underwater gardens of pristine coral are still here. The Cuban government banned fishing over a 386-square-mile section of the islands in 1997, creating what scientists say is the Caribbean's largest marine reserve.


    Source and full article:
    Scientists Work To Protect Cuba's Unspoiled Reefs : NPR
     
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  3. drew3

    drew3 Blue Ringed Angel

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    thats awesome that there are still untouched reefs out there i cant wait till spring time hits then i get to go down to florida and go diving xD