Cuba to raise forest cover

Havana, Aug 26 (IANS) Cuban authorities are making efforts to expand the country's forest cover to 29.4 percent from the current 28.66 percent by 2015, an official said.

The programme is focused on boosting the intensive plantations in plain and pre-mountain regions for commercial purposes, Xinhua quoted Isabel Russo, director of the state forest service with the agriculture ministry as saying Sunday.

Reducing the exploitation in the mountains is also included in the strategy, she added.

Special attention will also be paid to the reforestation of the coastal areas to mitigate the effects of the climatic change.