COVER STORY: PARAKEETS
THE Hispaniolan parakeet (Psittacara chloropterus) is endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, where it is still found in both Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It is considered to be Vulnerable to extinction according to the IUCN Red List. Like so many other members of the order Psittaciformes, its wild population has been shrinking in number and distribution owing to habitat loss and, especially, capture for the illegal pet trade, even in protected areas.
To help defend the parakeet and also the Hispaniolan parrot) within their habitats, the Loro Parque Fundacion is supporting a project in the Dominican Republic which covers the entire country. The on-site organisation is Grupo Jaragua, the BirdLife partner in the Dominican Republic, with the group´s project manager, Andrea Thomen, as the principal scientist. Andrea is studying for her doctorate at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), one of three UK-based collaborating organisations, the others being Chester University and BirdLife International.
