Cuban and U.S. scientific research institutions signed a memorandum of understanding for the conservation of marine and coastal ecosystems, Cuban diplomatic sources informed.
The document is the first of its kind between the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Environment (CITMA) and a U.S. environmental non-governmental organization, The Ocean Foundation, which is an important milestone given its new content and scope, the statement revealed.
According to the statement, the tool is the result of several decades-long working relationships between the U.S. entity and several scientific research institutions in the Caribbean nation, and an expression of the current mutual interest in strengthening cooperation between both participants and developing joint projects.
It also contributes to the implementation of actions to adapt to global warming as foreseen in Cuba’s State Plan to Confront Climate Change, known as Tarea Vida, which will include the recovery and conservation of mangrove areas and other actions to reduce the deterioration of coral reef crests.
The statement noted that marine and coastal ecosystem studies between the two nations are one of the few areas of academic and research exchange maintained for decades, despite adverse political contexts.
In the last few years, the damage caused by unilateral and coercive measures imposed by Washington’s economic, financial, and commercial blockade against Cuba increased, which had a significant impact on bilateral cooperation.
For example, it has been difficult to obtain the necessary resources to develop projects in the field of marine protection and, additionally, a joint expedition between both countries has been made impossible.
This memorandum of understanding represents what Cuba and the United States could do when both countries work together, the communication said.
It is an achievement on the road to reestablishing mutually advantageous cooperative relations between the two nations, and a stimulus for other environmental organizations. Although it is not a binding agreement, it establishes the premises for a lasting cooperative relationship between neighboring countries that share common marine areas and ecosystems, it said.
