Havana, July 13 (RHC)-- Scientists from Cuba's National Museum of Natural History (MNHNC) and the American Museum of Natural History of New York, have signed a cooperation agreement in Havana.
Esther Perez, director of the Cuban institution, and Ana Luz Porcekanski, head of the Biodiversity Center of the US museum, signed the document at the headquarters of MNHNC, located in the historic area of Old Havana, declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 1982.
The agreement expresses the decision to contribute to the knowledge of the composition and characterization of Cuban flora and fauna, as well as clarify the taxonomic status of invertebrates, vertebrates, and microorganisms of the Caribbean biota, Regla Balmori, a specialist of the local gallery, said.
She added that the results of scientific research will be publicised through temporary exhibitions and oral presentations, in workshops for children and the general public visiting the center.
The aim is also to increase specific collections, strengthen technical capacities of professionals of the MNHNC through internships, courses and other forms of exchange, and increase the material potential of the MNHNC for the management, protection and conservation of their collections, under the terms of the agreement.
Likewise, it includes the incorporation to the exhibitions of the use of technologies or other interactive elements that facilitate communication and increase the interest of the audience; exchange information and specialists; carry out joint exhibitions on the investigated biological groups or other issues of common interest; and enrich the bibliographic assets of the MNHNC with literature specialized in natural history and museology.
Also, to study collections, review bibliographies and receive training and develop publications on biological study groups in cooperation projects and faunal inventories in specific areas.
Balmori said that the aim of the agreement is the establishment of a framework for action in response to the Memorandum of Understanding signed on October 22, 2009.
