The Ebano Verde Scientific Reserve in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

was created on October 26, 1989 by Decree No. 417-89, Environment and Resources General Law 64-00, ratified by the Protected Areas Sectorial Law No. 202-04, ordered by then President Joaquin Balaguer. Ebano Verde is the first in the nation to be administrated by the private Foundation for Human Betterment (''Fundacion para el Mejoramiento Human'') Progressio, that was established to guarantee the maintenance of the Cibao's hydric standards, assists with the preservation of the 29 km² area designated to the reserve, an area which has expanded since the original 23 km². The reserve is located on the eastern region of the

Cordillera Central Central Cordillera refers to the New Guinea Highlands. Cordillera Central, meaning ''central range'' in Spanish, may refer to the following mountain ranges: * Cordillera Central, Andes (disambiguation), several mountain ranges in South America ** ...

in the Province of La Vega and

Monseñor Nouel Adolfo Alejandro Nouel y Bobadilla (12 December 1862, Santo Domingo – 26 June 1937) was an archbishop, educator and interim president of the Dominican Republic. Early life and education Nouel was born to Carlos Rafael Nouel y Pierret, a Do ...

, within the municipalities o
Jarabacoa

Bonao Bonao is a city in the Cibao region of Dominican Republic. It is the capital of the Monseñor Nouel province. The city is located in the center of the country, to the northwest of the national capital Santo Domingo. The city is known as "Villa ...

, and Constanza, Dominican Republic. The Ebano Verde ('' Magnolia pallescens'') tree is a forest species that is endemic to the Dominican Republic and thrives exclusively in the Bosque Nublado (Clouded Forest), classified as a Very humid Lower Montane Forest (Bmh-MB).

History

President of the Collado Foundation, Dr. Mario Collado, solicited the approval of the exploitation of Ebano Verde (Green Ebony) dead wood, due to the devastation that occurred on his property from

Hurricane David Hurricane David was a devastating tropical cyclone which significantly damaged and killed many people in Dominica and the Dominican Republic in August 1979, and was the most intense hurricane to make landfall in the country in recorded history ...

and Tropical Storm Federico on the hills of La Golondrina and La Sal in the Cordillera Central. In order to extract the wood from the area, a system of thousands of cables had to be developed and installed that would not alter the ecological structure of the zone, and haul the dead lumber to the main roads. The King World Wide Company of Miami Florida had received news via Fax, of the existence of over 25,000,000 (''25 Million'') feet of lumber to be extracted. On July 3, 1992, by order 15791 to the General Director of Forestry, Balaguer gave the authorization to Dr. Collado Laboratories to perform a removal and exploitation of the dead lumber of the Ebano (ebony) species, with 40% of the proceeds to Dr. Collado Laboratories and 60% to the Dominican State. A few days later of July 7, 1992, Balaguer formed a commission for the supervision, control, and exploitation of the dead lumber. The Dominican Forestry Directorate was under much pressure, due to the amount of interests that would be generated from this project. There was only one signature left for the approval, that of the Director of Forestry, after all of the members of the commission had given their approval, when President Balaguer received news that the Secretary of Public Works had a tractor in the area, for the reparation of the neighboring road that leads to Palma de Constanza and unto Loma de la Golondrina, which hindered the extraction of wood. Balaguer's response was: ''"That has no validity, rejected, and set the tractor on fire".'' Immediately, Secretary

Eduardo Estrella Rafael Eduardo Estrella Virella (born June 5, 1953) is a civil engineer and Dominican politician, former senator and president of the Senate of the Dominican Republic from 2020 to 2023. He served as Minister (formerly "Secretary of State") for ...

of Public Works had been notified to remove the equipment that was at work in the Scientific Reserve, by orders of President Balaguer, ending the discussion and moving forward with the extraction.

Geography

Hills

Located northwest of Casabito in Jarabacoa, Loma de la Golondrina (eng. Swallow Hill) is the highest elevation in the area, reaching 1,549 m above sea level, and according to the Holdrige System, vegetative life within the reserve is that of a very humid Lower Montane Forest (Bmh-MB), making it one of the most humid areas in the Dominican Republic. The territory of Las Neblinas within the scientific reserve is made up of a geological formation denominated as Tireo, characterized as magmatic rocks and volcanic sediments from the superior

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...

period. The highest areas found in Las Neblinas are Loma La Lomita (1,182 m), Montellano (1,439 m), Prieta (1,023 m), Casabito (1,453 m), and La Sapa (1,230 m).

Rivers and streams

The

hydrography Hydrography is the branch of applied sciences which deals with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers, as well as with the prediction of their change over time, for the primary ...

of the Scientific Reserve and the surrounding areas are ones of great ecological importance, as Ebano Verde's La Sal, Bonito, and Arroyazo streams and water basins feed the rivers of Jimenoa, Camu, Jatubey, La Gina, Masipedro, Tireo and Tireito, La Piedra, Blanco, Pinar Bonito, Grande, and Palero, which supply the city of La Vega and the

Tavera Tavera is a commune in the Corse-du-Sud department of France on the island of Corsica. Population Transport The town is served by a station on the Corsican Railways. See also *Communes of the Corse-du-Sud department The followi ...

and Rincon Dams.

Trails

Within the Reserve are various trails and pathways, two of which are permitted to visitors: Sendero Baño de Nubes or Las Nubes (the clouds), and Sendero La Sal (the salt), descending through forests of Palo de Viento ('' Frodinia tremula'') in between the hills that are covered with thick Fern of different species, including the ''

Cyathea ''Cyathea'' is a genus of tree ferns, the type genus of the fern order Cyatheales. The genus name ''Cyathea'' is derived from the Greek ''kyatheion'', meaning "little cup", and refers to the cup-shaped sori on the underside of the fronds. ...

'' and ''

Dicranopteris ''Dicranopteris'' (forkedfern) is a genus of tropical ferns of the family Gleicheniaceae. There are about 20 described species. Phylogeny , ''Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database publi ...

'' genus, leading to streams that are lined with Manacla or Palma de Sierra (''

Prestoea montana ''Prestoea acuminata'' var. ''montana'' (vernacular English: Sierran palm;

Climate

Ebano Verde is an area with heavy downpour, classified as high tropical mountain climate, with a registered amount of rainfall at 2,327 mm to 4,633 mm with an annual average of 3,853 mm. The lowest temperatures reach 11,4°C and a maximum of 20.4°C, with an average temperature of 16.3°C.

Flora and fauna

Flora

According to reports, the flora in this natural protected area are made up of 621 species of

vascular plants Vascular plants (), also called tracheophytes (, ) or collectively tracheophyta (; ), are plants that have lignified tissues (the xylem) for conducting water and minerals throughout the plant. They also have a specialized non-lignified tissue ( ...

, of which 153 are highly endemic to La Hispaniola. The most prominent endemic species of flora that abounds in the area is the Ebano Verde (Green Ebony), ''Magnolia pallescens'', a highly endangered precious wood tree. Also extremely important, are the rarely mentioned species o
''Pinguicula casabitoana''
(a carnivorous plant), ''Gonocalyx tetraptera'', ''

Gesneria sylvicola ''Gesneria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It contains 62 species which are native to islands of the Caribbean. The genus is classified in the tribe Gesnerieae along with the genera '' Bellonia'', '' Pheidonocarpa'', ...

'', '' Lyonia alaini'', and '' Myrcia saliana'', as well as the palo de viento ('' Frodinia tremula''), jaiqui ('' Bumelia salicifolia''), pino criollo (''

Pinus occidentalis ''Pinus occidentalis'', also known as the Hispaniolan pine, Hispaniola pine or , is a pine tree endemic to the island of Hispaniola (split between the Dominican Republic and Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the ...

''), sangre de pollo ('' Mecranium amigdalinum''), and the palo santo ('' Alpinia speciosa'').

Fauna

The Reserve's

herpetofauna Herpetology (from Ancient Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is a branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, salamanders, and caecilians (Gymnophiona)) and reptiles (incl ...

is composed of eight species of amphibians and ten species of reptiles. Among the mammals found are bats such as the

Mexican free-tailed bat The Mexican free-tailed bat or Brazilian free-tailed bat (''Tadarida brasiliensis'') is a medium-sized bat native to North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean, so named because its tail can be almost half its total length and is not a ...

and the

Hispaniolan solenodon The Hispaniolan solenodon (''Solenodon paradoxus''), also known as the agouta, is a small, furry, shrew-like mammal endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (in the Dominican Republic and Haiti). Like other solenodons, it is a venomous, in ...

, laying on the edge of extinction. Some of the prominent birds within the Reserve are the cuca Hispaniolan amazon, Hispaniolan parakeet,

limpkin The limpkin (''Aramus guarauna''), also called carrao, courlan, and crying bird, is a large wading bird related to rails and cranes, and the only extant species in the family Aramidae. It is found mostly in wetlands in warm parts of the America ...

(''Aramus guarana elecus''),

ruddy quail-dove The ruddy quail-dove (''Geotrygon montana'') is a species of bird in the dove and pigeon family Columbidae. It breeds throughout the West Indies, Central America, and tropical South America. It has appeared as a vagrant in Florida and southern Te ...

and the endangered

rufous-collared sparrow The rufous-collared sparrow or Andean sparrow (''Zonotrichia capensis'') is an American sparrow found in a wide range of habitats, often near humans, from the extreme south-east of Mexico to Tierra del Fuego, and the island of Hispaniola (split ...

. In addition to these, other species include the Antillean euphonia,

black-faced grassquit The black-faced grassquit (''Melanospiza bicolor'') is a small bird. It is recognized as a tanager closely related to Darwin's finches. It breeds in the West Indies except Cuba, on Tobago but not Trinidad, and along the northern coasts of Colomb ...

Hispaniolan spindalis The Hispaniolan spindalis (''Spindalis dominicensis'') is one of four species of bird in family Spindalidae. It is endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola which is shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Taxonomy and systematics Hi ...

yellow-throated warbler The yellow-throated warbler (''Setophaga dominica'') is a small bird migration, migratory songbird species in the New World warbler family (biology), family (Parulidae) found in temperate North America. Description In summer, male yellow-throa ...

black-throated blue warbler The black-throated blue warbler (''Setophaga caerulescens'') is a small passerine bird of the New World warbler family. Its breeding ranges are located in the interior of deciduous and mixed coniferous forests in eastern North America. Over the ...

and black-throated green warbler,

Cape May warbler The Cape May warbler (''Setophaga tigrina'') is a species of New World warbler. It breeds in northern North America. Its breeding range spans all but the westernmost parts of southern Canada, the Great Lakes region, and New England. It is migrat ...

, golden swallow, Hispaniolan emerald, Hispaniolan trogon,

white-collared swift The white-collared swift (''Streptoprocne zonaris'') is a species of bird in the subfamily Cypseloidinae of the swift family Apodidae. It is found in Mexico, the Greater and Lesser Antilles, Trinidad, and every mainland South American country e ...

plain pigeon The plain pigeon (''Patagioenas inornata'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in the four Greater Antilles: Cuba, Hispaniola (in the Dominican Republic and Haiti), Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. Its natural habitats are forest, ...

sharp-shinned hawk The sharp-shinned hawk (''Accipiter striatus'') or northern sharp-shinned hawk, commonly known as a sharpie, is a small hawk, with males being the smallest hawks in the United States and Canada, but with the species averaging larger than some Neo ...

Eastern chat-tanager The eastern chat-tanager (''Calyptophilus frugivorus'') is a Near Threatened species of passerine bird belonging to the family Calyptophilidae. It is endemic to the island of Hispaniola, in the Dominican Republic; it is possibly extirpated fro ...

, and greater Antillean elaenia.

References

{{reflist Protected areas of the Dominican Republic