Current Project: 2024 - 2027

RLA 7/028 – Strengthening Regional Capabilities on the Application of Nuclear and Isotopic Techniques to Increase Knowledge about Stressors that Affect Marine and Coastal Sustainable Management (ARCAL CLXXXIX)

Previous Projects:

RLA 7/025 – Strengthening Capacities in Marine and Coastal Environments Using Nuclear and Isotopic Techniques (2020-2023).

RLA 7/022 – Strengthening Regional Monitoring and Response for Sustainable Marine and Coastal Environments (ARCAL CXLV) (2018-2019).

RLA 7/020 - Establishing the Caribbean Observing Network for Ocean Acidification and its Impact on Harmful Algal Blooms, using Nuclear and Isotopic Techniques. (2014-2017)

RLA 7/014 – Designing and Implementing Systems for Early Warning and Evaluation of the Toxicity of Harmful Algal Blooms in the Caribbean Region, Applying Advanced Nuclear Techniques, Radioecotoxicological Evaluations and Bioassays (2009-2012).

RLA 7/012 – Use of Nuclear Techniques to Address the Management Problems of Coastal Zones in the Caribbean Region. (2007-2012)

Participating Institutions:

THE PROBLEM

Cuba's coastal zone, with a length of 5,746 km and an associated population of 1.4 million people, is currently facing the negative impacts of water and sediment pollution, ocean acidification, and Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). These are phenomena derived largely from the action of man and directly affect the economy of coastal areas, the safety of fishing resources, public health, tourism and the services that marine ecosystems provide to society.

Fishing, being a country surrounded by the sea, is an important source of protein that contributes significantly to the food security of the population. However, in the last 30 years it has shown a decreasing trend. Even so, the fishing sector contributes 0.1% to GDP, marketing some 35,000 t in national and international markets, generating 71 million USD (2013) in exports of fishery products and 7,480 direct jobs (2013). The 245 coastal settlements, strictly fishing, depend on the sea and its resources as an important source of income.

Tourism, for its part, represents approximately 4.7% of GDP. This sector enjoys rapid growth with a strong impact on the national economy. In 2018, approximately 4.7 million visitors were received, representing an income of more than 3 billion USD.

INFORMATION FOR ACTION

Cuba is a member of the “Research Network of Marine-Coastal Stressors in Latin America and the Caribbean” (REMARCO). Its objective is that its results on pollution, ocean acidification and HABs constitute scientific support for environmental decision-making. Reliable scientific information is generated through the network to assess the impact of stressors, propose possible solutions and measure the effectiveness of management policies applied.

Country Members:

Progress and Challenges

The application of nuclear techniques has made it possible to characterize marine pollution caused by heavy metals and organic pollutants and its historical reconstruction in various ecosystems in the country.

Regarding the case of contamination by microplastics, the activities to date have been aimed at quantifying their levels in water, sediments, sand and marine organisms at a local scale. It is still necessary to establish monitoring programs for beaches and fishery resources with a national scope, with the aim of gathering as much basic information as possible.

As a result of the accelerated dissolution of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the sea, it becomes more acidic. In Cuba there is little information on this phenomenon and its impacts on ecosystems. The capabilities developed by the network make it possible to quantify the current levels of sea acidity, as well as to reconstruct its historical levels using corals and stable isotopes. The country, with the support of the IAEA, has created a national observatory for this purpose. However, it is necessary to quantify the magnitude of the phenomenon in various areas of the island platform. On the other hand, the strengthening of national and international collaboration is essential for the creation of new capacities, the transfer and maintenance of technologies.

In Cuba, ciguatera constitutes the main manifestation of harmful algal blooms, even when the government applies regulations such as the prohibition of the commercialization of certain potentially toxic fish species. Cuban scientists are working on the establishment of monitoring programs for toxic microalgae to detect their presence and abundance early, and on the implementation of a nuclear technique (Receptor Binding Assay, RBA) to quantify the toxins present in the fish products. The implementation of this technique and its sustainability, as a service at the country level, requires effective integration with the fishing sector, which provides samples collected in areas of interest.