Natalia Rossi
Director of WCS Cuba Program

Natalia Rossi,
Director of WCS Cuba Program

SSince I was a kid growing up between the Argentinian city of Buenos Aires and the countryside province Entre Rios, I have had an innate curiosity for nature. My grandfather was a ranger, and my mother always gave me the freedom to pursue my passion, even as our home became a zoo filled with various rescued animals. This led me to study biology at the University of Buenos Aires and pursue a master’s degree in Conservation Biology at Columbia University through a Fulbright Fellowship. After obtaining WCS’s Research Fellowship Program grant to investigate bycatch mortality of endangered loggerhead sea turtles in Baja California Sur, Mexico, I became a field manager and researcher in Baja’s sea turtle conservation project. Later, after graduating from the PhD Program at Columbia leading WCS’s crocodile research in Cuba, I joined WCS full time, and have since led the development of a robust WCS Cuba program. Our goal is to help protect 20 percent of Cuba’s wild places by strengthening the management of protected areas, fostering sustainable fisheries, and building and maintaining meaningful partnerships.

As the largest island in the Caribbean with the most intact habitats, Cuba plays an important role as a stronghold of biodiversity. It is home to the bee hummingbird—the world’s smallest bird—the endemic Cuban crocodile, and a remarkable variety of frogs and lizards. With its proximity to Mesoamerica, it is also a critical stopover for many migratory species such as sea turtles, whale sharks, and birds. Cuba also has innumerable islands, cays, and coral reefs that comprise some of the most important coastal habitats in all the Caribbean. Yet despite containing the largest protected area network in the Caribbean, Cuba is at risk for high levels of extinction. For example, 80 percent of the nation’s frog species are threatened, endangered, or near extinction. Due to the political challenges, not many conservation organizations have a long history there. However, WCS has more than 17 years of experience fostering conservation in the country, putting us in a unique position to help protect Cuba’’s wildlife and wild places at this critical time in the country’s history.

Changing political relations between Cuba and the United States have brought the country’s natural places and biodiversity to a crossroads. Cuba’s economic development is expected to accelerate, especially in the areas of tourism and fisheries, placing growing pressures on the archipelago’s natural environment. During this transitional time, I strongly believe that Cuba has an unprecedented opportunity to define its path of development by supporting local human livelihoods while also maintaining and strengthening its conservation legislation and long-term commitment to protecting the environment. A current focus of the WCS Cuba program is a project funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to improve coastal protected areas and fisheries management in the southeastern region of Cuba, thereby strengthening overall ecosystem health. This is one of the first projects to work directly with local fishing communities and protected area managers in Cuba. By linking coastal protected areas with good fisheries management and support of local livelihoods, our project intends to contribute to the country’s transition into a sustainable future.

Aside from its wildlife, another gem of Cuba is its people. Over the years, I have worked with native protected area managers, rangers, university students, and researchers, and continue to be impressed by their commitment to and capacity for conservation. Given the urgency to efficiently secure protection of Cuba’s wildlife and wild places, having such dedicated people on the ground makes an enormous difference, and makes me optimistic and excited about the future.

Natalia Rossi