The green seagoing turtle making its way from Florida to Cuba isn’t aware of crossing the economic embargo imposed by the U.S. since JFK. It also can’t know that its nesting place on the Cuban beaches have been preserved as an unintended good consequence of that embargo, which—along with Castro’s anti-capitalism—kept out what economists are pleased to call “development.” Cuba’s cities have decayed under Communism but the island’s unique ecosystem has flourished.
Such are the quandaries explored by “Cuba: The Accidental Eden,” an episode of the PBS series “Nature” released on DVD. As the largest landmass in the Caribbean, Cuba is home to many unique species, including the world’s tiniest bats, owls and hummingbirds. While Castro’s regime has prevented this biologically diverse nation of desert shores, steamy swamps, tropical forests and piney hills from being transformed like Jamaica into a cheap tourist trap, it seems inevitable that Cuba will open itself to America someday. With the advantages will come the danger that the country’s natural beauty will be spoiled
