HAVANA - Cuba was among the world's best prepared countries to meet the challenges of climate change, Grisel Acosta, regional representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) said Thursday.

Speaking to local reporters, Acosta said Cuba had implemented climate change programs in various sectors and periodically evaluated their progress.

Acosta praised Cuba's conservation program, where biodiversity is preserved through people's interaction with their environment.

The conservation mechanisms are essential to addressing coastal flooding, rising sea levels, increased rainfall, damage to mangrove swamp ecosystems, beaches and coral reefs, as well as general environmental vulnerability.

To mitigate the impact of climate change and natural disasters, Cuba has in place 15 projects, starting at the local level, related to the integral management of coastal zones.

Cuban researchers have found climate change may increase desertification and diminish water supplies on the Caribbean island. It might also push Cuba's southern coastline inland by 7 kms, which would affect coastal communities, pollute freshwater sources and decrease or even wipe out certain species and wetlands.