ABSTRACT
Cuba is the largest island in the West Indies and has the greatest biodiversity in the Caribbean. The Sierra Maestra is Cuba’s largest mountain range, encompassing part of the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo. It is 250 km long and 30 km wide at its broadest part; it covers a total area of 530,000 hectares, with altitudes of between 200 and 2000 m above sea level. Because of its relief, geomorphology, hydrological structure, soils, climate and vegetation, it forms a complex and fragile ecological system.
