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Simply in time for fall migration, Dominican Republic conservation group SOH Conservación has bought 432 acres of land with monetary help from American Chicken Conservancy (ABC). The brand new acquisition will significantly broaden the 35-acre Bosque de las Nubes (“Forest of the Clouds”) Reserve and act as a buffer towards unlawful incursions into the adjoining 277,964-acre Sierra de Bahoruco Nationwide Park. It should additionally broaden habitat safeguards for Neotropical migrants just like the susceptible Bicknell’s Thrush and a wide range of endemic species such because the endangered Hispaniolan Crossbill and the Dominican Republic’s nationwide chicken, the Palmchat.
“When most individuals consider the Dominican Republic, they usually consider its stunning Caribbean seashores and waters. Nevertheless, the nation can also be house to an unimaginable range of mountainous forest habitats which can be vital for a lot of species of migratory birds that we see in North America throughout our summer time,” mentioned Marci Eggers, ABC’s Director of Migratory Chicken Habitats in Latin America and the Caribbean. “This growth of the Bosque de las Nubes Reserve is a vital step in the direction of making a protected hall for Neotropical migrants within the Dominican Republic.”
The Dominican Republic is without doubt one of the most vital international locations for chicken conservation within the Caribbean. Its numerous habitats and heat local weather shelter Neotropical migrants in the course of the North American winter. The nation additionally hosts greater than 30 chicken species discovered solely on the island of Hispaniola, which the Dominican Republic shares with Haiti.
The Bosque de las Nubes Reserve and adjoining Sierra de Bahoruco Nationwide Park are positioned within the Sierra de Bahoruco BirdScape, a precedence area recognized by ABC and companions for the nation’s migratory species. Positioned within the Dominican Republic’s southwest nook, this BirdScape stretches throughout the luxurious Bahoruco mountains, the place broadleaf, pine, and cloud forest habitats all host numerous avian communities at completely different elevations. The realm is critically vital to the Bicknell’s Thrush, which breeds within the coniferous forests of New England and southeastern Canada, and winters totally on Hispaniola.
Sadly, the Bicknell Thrush’s comparatively small nonbreeding vary has left it notably susceptible to the impacts of habitat loss on the island, and its inhabitants is declining by at the very least 7 % per 12 months. ABC has been working with companions since 2006 to reverse this pattern by addressing unsustainable logging and agriculture, together with different sources of forest loss within the Dominican Republic. Actions so far have included facilitating reforestation efforts and supporting enhancements to protected space administration.
Enlargement of the SOH Conservación-managed Bosque de las Nubes Reserve is the newest vital step within the means of guaranteeing sufficient nonbreeding habitat for Bicknell’s Thrush. The addition brings ABC one step nearer to establishing a conservation hall that spans the complete Sierra de Bahoruco BirdScape.
Species profile: Bicknell’s Thrush
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