Caribbean’s rarest species given lifeline by education

November 2011. Conservationists in the Caribbean are now armed with a range of new skills and tools to help them recover some of their most threatened island species, thanks to a successful training programme run by Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.

Recently the Punta Cana Ecological Foundation in the Dominican Republic played host to eighteen participants from the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico and Montserrat as they attended the eight day Island Species-Led Action (ISLA) course. This specialist programme focuses on the recovery of endangered birds and mammals, with particular attention on threats such as invasive species and habitat loss, along with providing a rare opportunity for island conservationists and researchers to explore some of the issues concerning the recovery of island species and habitats.

Commenting on the success of the recent course Dr. Jose Nunez-Mino, Field Project Manager for Durrell said, "Hispaniola, or the Dominican Republic and Haiti combined, support some of the world's most threatened yet unique wildlife. By bringing together conservationists from across the island the course has forged links between different institutions that are now starting to think about how we can work together to conserve the unique species found on Hispaniola."

The training programme was made possible thanks to funding from a Jersey-based trust fund and forms part of a longer-term project to conserve Hispaniola's remaining native land mammals.

Backed by Durrell
Designed to encourage participants to think broadly about problems they face and ways to overcome them, the course was first developed by staff from Durrell's Jersey based International Training Centre (ITC). It draws upon the ITC's experience and expertise in delivering applied conservation training courses to more than 3000 conservationists from 128 countries, since it was established in 1985. The training programme also makes use of knowledge gained from Durrell's long history of practical interventions in the Indian Ocean, Caribbean and Pacific Ocean.

Since its launch in Jersey, the ISLA course has been run in the Seychelles, Mauritius, St. Lucia, Galapagos, Guam, Fiji, the Philippines and now the Dominican Republic.

More about Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust