FUNDACION DE LA NATURALEZA Y EL HOMBRE (FNH)
FOUNDATION OF NATURE AND HUMANITY (FNH)
Founded and presided by Cuba's famous geographer, historian, explorer and naturalist Antonio Nuñez Jímenez, the non-governmental foundation focuses on research and promotion of projects aimed at
protecting the environment in its relation to culture and society.
The foundation's three main areas of work are:
1. Geo-historic research: As a resource center, the Foundation provides a 47 volume collection of writings by Dr. Antonio Nuñez Jímenez titled "Cuba: Nature and Man", compiling over 50 years of research and expeditions relating to climate, geology, history, culture and other areas.
2. Environmental Education: Focused around the central theme: "Toward a Culture of Nature" using mass media and all forms of communication to get the message across that human beings have a vital role to fulfill in protecting and preserving the environment.
Aimed at all sectors and all levels, this includes informal educational methods such as organizing clubs, conferences, workshops, courses, seminars, round tables, theatre, drawing to broaden popular knowledge about ecological problems and ways we can resolve them -- or not create them.
3. Ecology Program: Designed to promote conservation projects, community development, tourism, and research to preserve the most valued treasures of Cuba's natural environment, always taking focus on changing attitudes to promote a healthier environment.
The Principal Projects sponsored by the Foundation include:
· Botanical research in the Toa River Basin, in the southeastern tip of the Island, which contains one of the few Amazonian-type virgin forests in the northern hemisphere. The foundation is trying to call attention to the need to study the flora and ecosystems of this region and prevent its destruction.
· Conservation of Cuban orchids and environmental education of the local population near the Soroa Orchid Gardens in Pinar del Rio province. Since some of Cuba's orchids are endangered due to human encroachment, the Foundation hopes to both educate the community and support a process of micro-propagation of the orchids for their eventual reintegration into their natural habitat.
· Social and Urban Renewal Project to develop sustainable tourism in the fishing village of Las Morlas, which is part of the Punta Hicacos Nature Tourism Park in Matanzas province. This project combines social, ecology and tourist aspects. Its goals are to improve the living conditions of the people based on self-reliance, a proper development of sustainable tourism, and elimination of the contradictions that sometimes exist between tourism developers and the local population.
· Promotion of environmental activities in the tourism sector. Looks at consequences of rapid increase of tourism in Cuba on the natural environment, hoping to replace deprecatory behaviours of tourists and tourism workers with ones more protective of the natural surroundings.
The Nature and Man Foundation is sponsoring an international conference regarding river pollution and its solutions in April 1996. Called Rio Almendares SOS (for the highly polluted river that runs through Havana's Metropolitan Park), the conference hopes to attract specialists, conservationists and environmental activists from around the world to share experiences and ideas to combat this universal problem.
Rosa Maria Cartaya Olivares, program and project coordinator for the Foundation, will be in Toronto, Canada for a week beginning October 21 and could be available to go to other parts of Canada if you are interested in hosting her to talk about the SOS Almendares and other projects.
You can contact the foundation by fax 537-240438, by email to
natural@tinored.cu with copy to terrazas@tinored.cu.
Fundación de la Naturaleza y el Hombre (FNH)
Avenida 5ta No. 6611, entre 66 y 70
Playa, Ciudad de La Habana
Cuba
tel: +537 29 2885 tel/fax: +537 24 0438
Web:
http://www.peg.apc.org/~adamt/cuba/fnh.htm
Note: The Tinored email system closed down in early 1997. If you want to email the Fudacion or Karen Wald, please email Adam Tiller at adamt@peg.apc.org.au and Adam will pass on your message.
Source:
/* Written 11:36 PM Oct 15, 1995 by kwald@tinored.cu (Karen Wald)
in the APC newsgroup reg.cuba */
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