For Immediate Release Contact:
Steve Holmer, American Bird Conservancy, 202-234-7181, ext. 216
Yvonne Arias, Group Jaragua, 809-472-1036

New Refuge to Protect Migratory and Resident Birds in the Dominican Republic

La Selle Thrush. Photo: Eladio Fernandez

(Washington, D.C., October 20, 2009) Leonel Fernández, President of the Dominican Republic, has announced the creation of a new refuge “Reserva Biologica Loma Charco Azul” on the northwestern border of Sierra de Bahoruco National Park, a global biodiversity hotspot. The decision extends protection in the region by 111 square miles, providing essential habitat protection for the globally threatened Bay-breasted Cuckoo and threatened resident and migratory birds that depend on the Island of Hispaniola. American Bird Conservancy and its partner Grupo Jaragua prepared the proposal for the Secretaría de Estado de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales to designate the new protected area and conducted the biodiversity inventory work needed to justify the new area.

“With 30 endemic bird species, Hispaniola ranks high in global importance for bird conservation,” said Dr. George Wallace, American Bird Conservancy’s Vice President of Oceans and Islands. “With forests in Haiti virtually gone and an accelerated rate of forest loss in the Dominican Republic, many of these species face a bleak future—of the 30 species, 14 are ranked by IUCN as globally threatened. That’s why expanding land protected in the vicinity of Sierra de Bahoruco is so important and such a significant accomplishment.”

In addition, over 30 species of Neotropical migratory birds have been recorded there; they form an important component of the biodiversity during the northern winter, making up more than 50% of the bird life in some habitats, particularly pine forests.

“Loma Charco Azul contains populations of several threatened endemic birds and migratory species and, until now, was an unprotected portion of the Sierra de Bahoruco Important Bird Area,” said Yvonne Arias, President of Grupo Jaragua, which has partnered with American Bird Conservancy on the conservation of threatened and migratory birds in the region.. “Key among the endemics there are the Bay-breasted Cuckoo, and a good population of the vulnerable Hispaniolan Parrot. We applaud the action of President Fernández to designate this important new protected area.

”Sierra de Bahoruco National Park, an Alliance for Global Extinction (AZE) site, is the global stronghold for three endangered species—Bay-breasted Cuckoo, La Selle Thrush, and Hispaniolan Crossbill—and five more that are globally vulnerable—Hispaniolan Parrot, Hispaniolan Parakeet, Golden Swallow, Chat Tanager, and White-winged Warbler. Other endangered species such a Bicknell’s Thrush and the Black-capped Petrel are also present. Unfortunately, the park and its environs are under severe threat because some of the dry forest, especially important for the Bay-breasted Cuckoo, adjacent to the park boundaries, has been cleared for an avocado/papaya plantation.

The Bay-breasted Cuckoo is declining around Loma Charco Azul, due to the creeping expansion of this plantation which has destroyed habitat for 5-6 pairs since 2002 according to research by Lance Woolaver, a Canadian graduate student doing his thesis on the species. The new protected area will help to safeguard one of the three most important known populations.

The work to create the new protected area was part of a part of a broader effort to improve the management of Sierra de Bahoruco National Park supported by the US Fish and Wildlife Service through the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act grant program. Other aspects of the project included hiring guards to protect the Park and to establish a monitoring program for migratory, endemic and resident birds. Other important supporters of Grupo Jaragua’s efforts to expand protection in the vicinity of Sierra de Baharuco National park include BirdLife International and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

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American Bird Conservancy (ABC) conserves native wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. ABC acts to safeguard the rarest bird species, restore habitats, and reduce threats, while building capacity in the conservation movement. ABC is the voice for birds, ensuring that they are adequately protected; that sufficient funding is available for bird conservation; and that land is protected and properly managed to maintain viable habitat. ABC is a 501(c)(3) membership organization that is consistently awarded a top, four-star rating by the independent group, Charity Navigator.

Grupo Jaragua is a non-govermental, non-profit organization founded in 1987. Its mission is to achieve the effective management of the Dominican Republic's Biodiversity Resources through research and implementation of specific projects to solve local conservation problems. Grupo Jaragua places especial attention to regional development of Protected Areas through participatory processes at the community level, in particular in Jaragua National Park and its surrounding communities. To achieve its mission, Grupo Jaragua works in collaboration with government and non government institutions, as well as grass-roots organizations.