Serpentine is an unusual soil derived from oceanic crust, rich in magnesium and heavy metals and poor in nutrients. It supports unique plant species and communities throughout the world. Cuba has one of the world’s richest flora restricted to serpentine soil. The serpentine areas occupy the 7% of Cuban surface but they support the 33% of Cuban endemic genera and 30% of the endemic species. Natural serpentine areas with their typical thorny bushwoods are considered a wasteland by non biologists therefore these areas have been cut and burned to produce pastureland or timber plantations which usually are abandoned after some years of exploitations due to their infertility.

This project aims to obtain the necessary information to support the proposal of the serpentine outcrops of Guamuhaya Mountains as protected areas. The results will also be useful to know the conservation status of the local endemic flora and to design the plans for management and conservation of these areas and/ or species.