Long-time VCE partner Yolanda (Yoli) León has emerged as a true conservation champion in the Dominican Republic. Yolanda is a biologist and research professor at Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC) and president of the nonprofit organization Groupo Jaragua, a Dominican NGO that works to preserve biodiversity across the island of Hispaniola. Over the last decade-plus, Yolanda has spearheaded diverse research, capacity building, and community outreach efforts in environmental conservation and rural development in the Dominican Republic. She recently joined the Coordination Committee of the International Bicknell’s Thrush Conservation Group, and she is leading a collaborative project with VCE to restore degraded cloud forest habitat in Sierra de Bahoruco, one of the most globally important wintering regions for Bicknell’s Thrush.
