Photo By Emily McCamy | Alberto Areces, director of the Luis Munoz Martin Botanical Garden located in San...... read more read more
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A bombing range seems like an unlikely location to find rare species of plants, but amid the destruction is a home to many unlikely plants and animals.
U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, like all military reservations, practices conservation and takes an active interest in the flora and fauna that grace the hills and valleys of the base. Whether developing environmental policy and evaluating the impact of military operations on the environment, implementing measures for preservation and continual improvement or preventing pollution on land and in water, it takes a team effort to get the job done.
Alberto Areces, a Cuban born world-class botanist, recently visited the base to study the local flora and identify various species of plants.
"Since the first time I came here with the nature conservancy I've gotten acquainted with the local flora," Areces said. "I know what's here and can identify important species."
After completing master's degrees in both Belgium and Austria, Areces returned to Cuba and began working as a researcher and associate professor at the University of Havana, eventually accepting a job proposal from the New York Botanical Gardens where he worked for 10 years. Currently he is the director of the Luis Munoz Martin Botanical Gardens in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
"The first time I came [to Guantanamo], I found species that have been extinct from the main island [Cuba]," Areces said. "They are still alive here because the mine fields have protected a great deal of plants everywhere, maybe on both sides of the fence. You see more than you expect to see, [especially] at the bombing range."
During his first trip here in the mid-1990s, Areces found Pereskia zinniiflora, commonly known as Abrojo or Erizo, a plant that belongs to the cactus family and is the most primitive genus of the cactus family.
"The naval base is important because it is one of two main centers of plant bio-diversity and evolution in the West Indies for dry regions," Areces continued. "The other is on the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic."
Recently Areces returned to look for the Pereskia and identify other plants around Guantanamo. It is the first time he's been back since his initial visit.
"My finding is important because all the cactus plants belong to the western hemisphere," Araces explained. "There are no cactus whatsoever in the deserts of Africa and Asia; cacti belong to America and originated after the South Atlantic Ocean was formed, over 65 million years ago. This [particular] plant originated about 60 million years ago."
The relics of nearly 2,000 species of cacti found in the Americas are found here in the Caribbean and Central America.
"Here, you'll find the most primitive genera," Araces continued. "Pereskia is the most primitive one. The genus has around 16 or 17 species. In Cuba there are two species; in the Dominican Republic, maybe three or four."
Because these plants are so primitive, they are easily susceptible to destruction.
"These are highly threatened and endangered plants," Araces said. "They are quite adapted to their locations but cannot sustain significant changes in their environment. We must protect them."
Areces explained the reproductive nature of the plant and the importance of finding these particular trees.
"The species is dioecious, which means there are male and female trees," Areces said. "The plant is capable of producing seeds and perpetuating itself over time; however, if you don't have male and female trees close together, you'll never have seeds."
Finding the trees close together gives Areces hope that there are both male and female trees so the species can continue.
"[Guantanamo] is really an amazing place and has been an interesting personal experience," Areces said. "I've seen many species [here] I've never seen on the main island."
| Date Taken: | 02.27.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 03.10.2009 11:39 |
| Story ID: | 30959 |
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| Web Views: | 294 |
| Downloads: | 217 |
This work, Primitive Plants, Relics From Another Era, by Emily McCamy, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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