Cuban Botanist Receives Int. Environmental Award

HAVANA TIMES, Dec. 7 — Honorable mention in the Augusto Gonzalez de Linares International Environment Awards, convened by the Spanish university of Cantabria, went to Manuel Garcia Caluff yesterday in Santiago de Cuba, according to Prensa Latina.

Caluff Garcia directs the “Fern Garden” (Spanish: Jardin de los Helechos), which is unique of its kind in Latin America. For 35 years he has developed one of the largest herbaria in the Caribbean. He has also contributed significantly to the environmental education of children and young people, and has cared for Cuba’s natural heritage.

The award from the Spanish institution encourages those people who are doing remarkable work aimed at environmental protection and highlights the importance of conservation and maintenance technologies. In addition, it promotes basic research as a premise in the management of environmental resources.