[Via... http://www.egroups.com/group/Communist-Internet ] . .ENVIRONMENTALISM IS KEY TO CUBA'S SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT The environment in Cuba suffered great abuse under the corrupt regime that governed the nation during its 60 years as a neo-colony of the United States. The main problem was that private businesses were concerned only with profits and for years they were given carte blanche to destroy Cuban forests, rivers, lakes and the other natural beauties that had made the island a veritable jewel. Political and economic confrontation with the United States has been the most serious problem faced by the Cuban Revolution over the past four decades. But the critical shortages and difficulties created by Washington's hostile policy toward Cuba have not changed the island's determination to care for the environment. Torrential, tropical rains and searing droughts have traditionally wreaked havoc in Cuba. After the devastating Hurricane Flora slammed into the island in l963, the government implemented a water policy that created a network of dams throughout the country to guarantee water for critical crops and to avoid catastrophic flooding. Another important step taken by the new Cuban government early on was massive reforestation efforts, to regain badly needed protection from the merciless tropical sun, to restore the country's natural beauty and to begin a sustainable and profitable industry in the cultivation of precious woods. Since 1492 when Christopher Columbus first landed in Cuba until the Revolutionary government took over in l959, foreign and domestic entrepreneurs had been ruthlessly decimating the island's lush forests. Cuba's internationally renowned beaches have also been re-conditioned and rescued from erosion, as in Varadero where the spectaclar beach was receding a full three feet each year, damaging the eco-system. Authorities brought in sand, prohibited building on dunes and demolished buildings close to the water. The result is that now Varadero Beach boasts an average width of nearly 70 feet of fine, white sand. This is the kind of work that is being undertaken island-wide to protect and maintain a healthy and beautiful environment to be economically, socially and culturally enjoyed.
