The Central and Western Ecological Reserve of Cayo Coco, in the north of the municipality of Morón, and the Loma de Cunagua and El Venero Fauna Refuges are protected areas within the Great Northern Wetlands of Ciego de Ávila, and receive differentiated attention in order to guarantee the safeguarding of all the biodiversity they contain.

According to Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment officials, the ecosystem as a whole possesses an enviable flora, with resources comprising 82 families, 225 genera, 344 species and 48 endemic plants, of which 10 are reported in the catalogue of threatened or extinct species.

The plant formations such as the mangroves are also outstanding, providing habitat and breeding grounds for an enormous number of birds and fish, and helping to prevent marine erosion of the coasts, which is why the Tarea Vida in this environment multiplies the actions for their conservation and maintenance.

The Great Northern Wetland of Ciego de Avila represents an important reservoir for a great variety of animals, since 251 species of terrestrial vertebrates live in this area, of which nine are amphibians, seven of them endemic. (Author: Carlos G. González Ruiz)