Quality of vegetation cover in six demonstrative sites of Sustainable Land Management in eastern Cuba

Abstract

The sustainable management of soils dedicated to agricultural-forestry exploitation is achieved through conservation techniques and procedures that allow obtaining consecutive results with little damage to natural resources; therefore, it is necessary to carry out diagnoses that monitor the balance between the natural and anthropic state. In this sense, the Quality of the vegetation cover of six demonstrative sites of sustainable land management for the eastern region of Cuba was evaluated, using the methodology proposed by the "Programa de Asociación de País para el Manejo Sostenible de Tierras, en Apoyo al Programa de Acción Nacional de Lucha contra la Desertificación y la Sequía en Cuba (CPP-OP15)”. Under this methodology, the Quality of the vegetation cover indicator was evaluated through the sum of its verifiers: Forest cover, Quality of native flora, Level of invasion of plant species, Complexity of vegetation, Presence of patches of typical vegetation, Diversification of crops and varieties, Richness of native species in shade crops and grazing. This made it possible to evaluate the level of conservation of the vegetation in each demonstration site, which will facilitate decision making for appropriate use of the land. The majority of the verifiers and the resulting indicator of Quality of the vegetation cover, showed their highest values ​​in the “La Victoria” (Guisa) y “Barzagas” farms which are soil conservation polygons where agroecological practices are carried out based on use of the agroforestry system.