The New York Times had a recent op-ed article on how Cuba’s isolation from the U.S. has helped preserve it more thickly forested areas and resulted in it being less polluted than other Carribean Islands. One of the challenges of a loosening or U.S. restrictions will be preserving Cuba’s wild areas and wildlife. Cuba has over 300 bird species including the world’s smallest bird the Bee Hummingbird, a pygmy owl and one of the world’s smallest frogs. The two Castro brothers have protected large areas of the island by establishing government-run parks. Read article at Cuba’s Wildlife on Notice – NYTimes.com.