Cuba faces significant environmental challenges related to coastal and marine biodiversity, sustainable fisheries management and climate change adaptation.

• Marine biodiversity and fisheries: Cuba's marine ecosystems, including coral reefs and mangroves, are under pressure from overfishing, habitat degradation and climate change. The sustainable management of fisheries resources is critical for food security and the livelihoods of coastal communities.

• Climate change: Rising sea levels, increasing hurricane intensity and coastal erosion threaten infrastructure and communities, particularly in low-lying coastal areas.

• Land degradation: Deforestation, soil erosion and unsustainable agricultural practices contribute to land degradation in some areas.

• Chemicals and waste: The management of obsolete pesticides, agricultural chemicals and solid waste, including plastics, remains a challenge.

The Global Environment Facility Small Grants Program (GEF SGP) can support community-led initiatives that contribute to Cuba's national and global environmental commitments.

• National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD): Support community-based marine and coastal conservation, the restoration of mangroves and coral reefs, and the sustainable management of fisheries resources, in alignment with Cuba's Fisheries Law (Ley de Pesca, 2019) and environmental framework law (2023).

• Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC): Promote climate-resilient agriculture, coastal protection through nature-based solutions, and decentralized renewable energy in rural communities.

• National Action Plan (NAP) under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD): Support sustainable land management practices, agroforestry and soil conservation in agricultural areas to combat land degradation.

• National Implementation Plan (NIP) under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants: Promote integrated pest management, organic agriculture and the safe disposal of obsolete pesticides to reduce pollution from agrochemicals.

• Community management of threatened ecosystems and species: Support coastal communities in sustainable fisheries management, marine protected area management and the conservation of threatened species, including groupers, snappers and marine turtles.

• Sustainable agriculture and food security: Promote agroecology, urban and peri-urban agriculture, and sustainable farming practices among smallholder farmers to enhance food security and resilience.

• Access to low-impact energy and co-benefits: Support community-scale renewable energy solutions, including solar power and biogas, for rural communities and agricultural processing.

• Local-to-global coalitions for chemicals and waste management: Work with farming communities to reduce agrochemical use through integrated pest management and organic agriculture.

• Sustainable urban solutions: Support urban agriculture, green spaces and food loss reduction in cities such as Havana and Santiago de Cuba.