Over the weekend of 3-4 October 2015, Santo Domingo’s Agora Mall launched a series of events aimed at raising conservation awareness. Called “Together We Are Green”, the event was dedicated to the protection of the Hispaniola parrot, and featured exhibitions and workshops for children and adults alike focusing on protecting this bird and other endangered species on the island.
This first “Together Are Green” initiative will include contributions from a range of foundations as part a program of more than 60 talks and educational events to raise public awareness over the coming month.
The shopping mall atrium was the hub for an activity which featured “painting the feathers on the parrot” and with a RD$50 donation the participants could contribute to the Jaragua Group project, dedicated to the conservation of the nation’s environment.
The endangered species in Hispaniola include the hawk (cuyaya), the gray-faced owl and the guaraguao n a large bird of prey n all featured in an exhibition sponsored by the Propagas Foundation and the National Zoo. All these birds are protected species in the Dominican Republic and are currently found in the Los Haitises National Park. According to Eduardo Vasquez, the Hispaniola hawk is the most threatened bird of prey in the world because of the destruction of its habitat and human hunting.