Santo Domingo.- Grupo Jaragua (BirdLife in the Dominican Republic) has celebrated the creation of a new reserve, 'Reserva Biológica Loma Charco Azul' (La Placa), within the southwestern range Sierra de Bahoruco Important Bird Area (IBA), the Web site Surfbirds News reports.

“This IBA holds essential habitat for high numbers (32 of the 34) of Hispaniola restricted-range birds, 14 threatened bird species and over 30 Neotropical migratory birds,” it said.

Loma Charco Azul has been declared a reserve after several years of active lobbying by Grupo Jaragua and its partners. The President of the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernández, proudly announced the decision to extend the protection in Sierra de Bahoruco by 28,748 hectares. "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 IBA. Key among the endemics there are the Bay-breasted Cuckoo, La Selle Thrush, Hispaniolan Crossbill and a good population of the vulnerable Hispaniolan Amazon (parrot).”

“We applaud the action of President Fernández to designate this important new protected area", said Yvonne Arias, President of Grupo Jaragua.

It said the work to create the new protected area and to improve the management of Sierra de Bahoruco National Park was a result of the partnership of Grupo Jaragua, American Bird Conservancy, the Environment Ministry (Semarena), and the Consorcio Ambiental Dominicano. “The work was supported by the US Fish and Wildlife Service through the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act grant program.”

Sierra de Bahoruco IBA is one of the three core zones of the Jaragua-Bahoruco–Enriquillo Biosphere Reserve where the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation supported the project “Biodiversity Conservation of the Jaragua-Bahoruco–Enriquillo Biosphere Reserve,” Surfbirds News said.

"This establishes the foundations for more conservation work needed to diminished the impact of threats such as agricultural expansion, introduced animals, fires, illegal logging, capture of parrot chicks and illegal hunting", said Ernst Rupp, who coordinated the work. “Moreover, this IBA connects in the west with Massif de la Selle in Haiti, another Globally Important Biodiversity Area, where forests are nearly gone.”