Cuban cactus scrub

Cuban cactus scrub
Near Caimanera, Guantánamo Province
Ecoregion territory (in purple)
Ecology
BiomeDeserts and xeric shrublands
Bird species244[1]
Mammal species32[1]
Geography
Area3,300 km2 (1,300 sq mi)
CountryCuba
Conservation
Conservation statusVulnerable
Habitat loss23%[1]
Protected28.31%[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]

  1. ^ a b c d Hoekstra, J. M.; Molnar, J. L.; Jennings, M.; Revenga, C.; Spalding, M. D.; Boucher, T. M.; Robertson, J. C.; Heibel, T. J.; Ellison, K. (2010). Molnar, J. L. (ed.). The Atlas of Global Conservation: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities to Make a Difference. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-26256-0.
  2. ^ "Cuban cactus scrub". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2009-04-19.