HOLGUÍN, Cuba, Jul 8 (ACN) The Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Confrontation Group of the University of Moa, in the province of Holguin, prioritizes research to identify regional vulnerabilities and prevent natural disasters in eastern Cuba.
Group coordinator Rafael Guardado told ACN that their main focus is on the impacts of landslides, the contamination of aquifers, flood-prone areas, tropical hurricanes, climate variability, and environmental problems in hydrographic basins.
Among the most important projects is a study of the risks downstream of eastern reservoirs and the prevention of wildfires in protected areas, including the Alejandro de Humbolt National Park, a referential of the biodiversity of flora and fauna.
“The results of these projects integrate into the disaster risk prevention plans, one of the fundamental tools used by the Civil Defense to reduce material and human losses in the event of weather events,” Guardado remarked. “The risk reduction studies are region-oriented and applied in investment projects in tourism, housing construction, and the relocation of buildings near to the seashore, one of the priorities of Task Life, the Cuban State’s plan to face climate change.”
Founded in 1975, the University of Moa, named “Dr. Antonio Núñez Jiménez”, is Cuba’s main academic institution in the fields of geology-mining and metallurgy. It has made notable contributions to the development of scientific research and the Cuban nickel industry through technological innovation and knowledge management.