Sites - Important Bird Areas (IBAs)

Ornithological information This IBA supports 190 bird species (31 of which are biomerestricted species), including 11 Cuban endemics and nine globally threatened species of which the Blue-headed Quail Dove Starnoenas cyanocephala, Giant Kingbird Tyrannus cubensis and Gundlach’s Hawk Accipiter gundlachi are all Endangered. The Cuban EBA restricted-range Yellow-headed Warbler Teretistris fernandinae and Red-shouldered Blackbird Agelaius assimilis both occur. Guanahacabibes forms part of the migratory corridor of the Mississippi flyway, and is a bottleneck site during fall migration. Bird capture rates during migration mist-netting studies have been higher in this IBA than anywhere else in Cuba.

Site description Guanahacabibes IBA is located in the municipality of Sandino, Pinar del Río province, in westernmost Cuba. It comprises the forested, flat limestone plain of the Guanahacabibes peninsula, itself formed by the peninsulas of Cabo de San Antonio and Corrientes. Cliffs rise to 19 m on the south coast from where the land slopes gently across the peninsula down to sea level on the north coast. A range of limestone formations, including caves, are found within the IBA. The Cueva la Barca, contains a rich, nationally important cave biota. The town of La Bajada (1,146 inhabitants) is located within the IBA.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Protected areas

Protected area	Designation	Area (ha)	Relationship with IBA	Overlap with IBA (ha)
Guanahacabibes	National Park	39,826	is identical to site	0
Guanahacabibes	Protected Area of Managed Resources	153,136	is identical to site	0
Peninsula de Guanahacabibes	UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserve	119,189	is identical to site	0

Habitats

Land use

Other biodiversity The Endangered (and endemic) frog Eleutherodactylus guanahacabibes occurs, as do other endemic reptiles including Anolis quadriocellifer and Antillophis andreai peninsulae. A number of endemic rodents and bats occur, and 14 plant species are confined to the IBA.

Management considerations In 1959, the areas of El Veral and Cabo Corrientes within the Guanahacabibes IBA were designated as natural reserves, and as strict conservation areas in 1963. The whole IBA was declared a biosphere reserve in 1987, within which the core zone, Guanahacabibes National Park, was approved by the government in 2001. Residents of La Bajada work mainly in forestry, apiculture, cattle farming, and cultivation of tobacco and other crops. Some are employed in a nearby scuba-diving centre. Other land uses include selective logging and pig foraging. Scientific research is the only activity conducted in the core zone. Threats to the IBA include ecosystem degradation, invasive species, tourism-related development and disturbance. Fishing, hunting and harvesting of natural resources also exert pressure on the ecosystem.

Acknowledgements Authors: HIRAM GONZÁLEZ, ALINA PÉREZ, ALEJANDRO LLANES, ENEIDER PÉREZ

Further web sources of information 

Site profile from Important Bird Areas in the Caribbean: key sites for conservation (BirdLife International 2008)

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Guanahacabibes. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 22/05/2013

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