DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Protect the Sierra de Bahoruco

Project Cost: $358,678

Funding Raised: $358,678

Please note that your donation may not be immediately reflected in the funding thermometer above.

Nearly one acre of forest is lost every second

27M+ ACRES SAVED

Thanks to generous support from our donors, we have successfully reached our fundraising goal for this project.

Protect the Sierra de Bahoruco

The Sierra de Bahoruco ecosystem in the mountainous southwestern region of the Dominican Republic is the endemism center of Hispaniola Island. The habitat is home to many endemic mammal, amphibian and bird species including the Critically Endangered Red-legged Robber Frog and Endangered White-fronted Quail-dove.

Despite international recognition as an important home for range restricted endemics, , the region still faces pressure from unsustainable logging and mining that cause severe habitat fragmentation, threatening to destroy the region.

In order to prevent further threats and safeguard the region, Rainforest Trust and our local partner, Sociedad Ornitologica de la Hispaniola Conservation (SOH), are working to create the Bosque de las Nubes Private Reserve. The new protected area will cover 205 acres of cloud and broad-leaf forest, the first step in the larger plan to expand the reserve to completely border the neighboring protected area and bolster protection for these endemic species. Header Photo: The Endangered White-fronted Quail-dove.

COUNTRY
Dominican Republic

ACRES
205

COST PER ACRE
$1,749.65

SPECIES
Baoruco Hammer Frog (EN); Caimoni (EN); Cuvier’s Hutia (EN); Hispaniolan Solenodon (EN), White-fronted Quail-dove (EN)

(CR)=Critically Endangered, (EN)=Endangered, (VU)=Vulnerable

ACRES CONSERVED BY
Purchase

PARTNER
Sociedad Ornitologica de la Hispaniola Conservation (SOH)

CARBON STORAGE
17,903 mT*
*(metric tonnes of CO2 equivalents)

Support Scientific Research

Studies have shown that the Sierra de Bahoruco is a critical biodiversity area in the Carribean, and continued research exemplifies its importance. Rainforest Trust recently supported a study of the area which showed that the ecosystem is home to 1,615 vascular plant species–– representing 29% of the island’s total flora–– as well as eight reptile and nine amphibian species, with all but one of the amphibian species being endemic. Two endemic land mammals, the Endangered Hispaniolan Solenodon and Cuvier’s Hutia, were also recorded in the proposed site.

 

Join Our Solution

Your donation will not only support the establishment of the Bosque de las Nubes Private Reserve and research initiatives, it will also allow our partner to collaborate with the national government to begin forest restoration.

As with each of our projects, the local communities will play a key role in creating and maintaining the reserve, which will be critical in conserving their main water sources. The partner will also mentor local people in sustainable economic growth and livelihood opportunities, such as shade grown coffee and ecotourism. These opportunities will improve quality of life and local ecological resilience. Photos: (Above) The Endangered Hispaniolan Solenodon, from Wikimedia Commons; (Below) The Endangered Cuvier’s Hutia, photo courtesy of Sociedad Ornitologica de la Hispaniola Conservation (SOH).

 

Project Location