Sites - Important Bird Areas (IBAs)

Ornithological information This IBA supports 32 biome-restricted species, 15 of which are Cuba endemics and 11 globally threatened birds. The Endangered Blue-headed Quail-dove Starnoenas cyanocephala, Giant Kingbird Tyrannus cubensis, and Gundlach’s Hawk Accipiter gundlachi occur and the area is particularly important for the Vulnerable Fernandina’s Flicker Colaptes fernandinae, and Near Threatened Painted Bunting Passerina ciris, Cuban Solitaire Myadestes elisabeth, and Plain Pigeon Patagioenas inornata.

Site description Mil Cumbres IBA embraces a complex landscape within the municipalities of Los Palacios, La Palma and Bahía Honda, in Pinar del Río province. The landscape comprises agricultural plains, karst valleys, mojotes, slate cliffs, sinkholes, sulphur springs and hills, and includes the Sierra de los Órganos, Sierra del Pan de Guajaibón, and the Cajálbana Plateau. The IBA protects an important aquifer and the catchment areas of the San Marcos and San Diego rivers.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Protected areas

Protected area	Designation	Area (ha)	Relationship with IBA	Overlap with IBA (ha)
Mil Cumbres	Protected Area of Managed Resources	17,129	is identical to site	0

Habitats

Land use

Other biodiversity The herpetofauna includes the Critically Endangered frog Eleutherodactylus symingtoni and other Pinar del Río endemics Anolis vermiculatus and A. bartschi. Mammals include the hutias Mysateles prehensilis and Capromys pilorides, and 10 bat species. Two locally endemic freshwater fish are also present. Of a flora with 1,143 species, 52 are endemic to Cajálbana and 24 to Sierra de la Güira.

Management considerations Mil Cumbres IBA is a Managed Resources Protected Area created in 1976. It is currently awaiting approval to be included as a site of national significance in the National System of Protected Areas. It is administered by the Empresa para la Protección de la Flora y la Fauna (EPFF). Since the late nineteenth century, this area has suffered from excessive forest exploitation (for timber) and clearance of lands for agriculture and livestock farming. Only the highest (least accessible) areas have retained their forest cover. In spite of this, a species-rich flora, diverse fauna, and attractive landscapes still remain in the area. Among the main threats are illegal hunting and logging, uncontrolled grazing, and the use of agrochemicals in the tobacco plantations. The presence of nearby mineral reserves and an active timber industry will maintain pressure on the area.

Acknowledgements Authors:HIRAM GONZÁLEZ, ARTURO KIRKCONNELL

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: Mil Cumbres. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 24/05/2013

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