Cuban cactus scrub | |
---|---|
Ecology | |
Biome | Deserts and xeric shrublands |
Bird species | 244[1] |
Mammal species | 32[1] |
Geography | |
Area | 3,300 km2 (1,300 sq mi) |
Country | Cuba |
Conservation | |
Conservation status | Vulnerable |
Habitat loss | 23%[1] |
Protected | 28.31%[1] |
The Cuban cactus scrub is a xeric shrubland ecoregion that occupies 3,300 km2 (1,300 sq mi) on the leeward coast of Cuba. Most of it occurs in the southeastern part of the island in the provinces of Guantánamo and Santiago de Cuba. The ecoregion receives less than 800 mm (31 in) of rainfall annually. The principal soils are coastal rendzinas that were derived from coralline limestone. Cuban cactus scrub contains four vegetation zones: xerophytic coastal and subcoastal scrubland, coastal thorny semidesert, coastal sclerophyllous scrubland, and rocky coastal scrublands.[2]