Havana, Sept 6 (AIN) Cuba has doubled the budget devoted to developing forest areas over the last 4 years in an effort to extend the woodlands to 29 percent of the national territory by 2015.

National Forestry Center consultant Jose Garea told the AIN Cuban news agency that in the year 2000, 40 million dollars (official exchange rate) were allocated for reforestation activities, while four years later the figure reached 91.6 million.

Cuban government efforts to protect the environment and foment sustainable forestry development are projected to receive 400 million dollars over the next 11 years, without including expenses on oil, equipment and tools.

Through the intensive reforestation program, 1 million hectares are to be planted by 2015 for both wood production and preservation.

The ambitious program takes place at the same time that more than 5.8 million hectares of woodland are lost each year in Latin America and 14.6 million are lost worldwide, according to UN Food and Agricultural Organization reports.

Presently, 23.2 percent of the Cuban territory is covered by trees as a result of the island’s determination to promote the development of this important natural resource.

This compares with the 13.9 percent existing when the revolution triumphed in 1959. More than 2.2 million hectares of natural forests now cohabit on the island with 348,700 hectares of planted trees.

With a 1.3 percent forest growth rate in the last decade, Cuba has become the only Latin American nation to extend its wooded areas over the last two years.