Puerto Rican Ornithological Society Sierra Bermeja in south-western Puerto Rico is home to the globally threatened Yellow-shouldered Blackbird Zoom In

Back to school for Puerto Rican teachers

18-01-2005

The Puerto Rican Ornithological Society has held a series of workshops for teachers to learn about the global significance of one of its most important sites for birds.

43 participants from 10 schools and two NGOs learned about the area and were then given exercises and materials to take back to the classroom for their students. The workshops took place during April and May 2004.

The 1,551 ha Sierra Bermeja Important Bird Area (IBA) in south-western Puerto Rico is home to two threatened endemic bird species, the Puerto Rican Nightjar Caprimulgus noctitherus (Critically Endangered) and the Yellow-shouldered Blackbird Agelaius xanthomus (Endangered).

Sierra Bermeja ranges from sea level to 300 m in elevation and lies in a subtropical dry forest zone. However, just 4% of the land is protected as a US Fish and Wildlife Service refuge; the rest is privately owned and susceptible to poor farming practices and introduced mammalian predators.

Apart from raising awareness of the importance of the site, the IBA programme in Puerto Rico is planning to reforest Sierra Bermeja to improve the habitat of the Puerto Rican Nightjar. Agreements have been signed with two private landowners to begin this process.