Andrea Thomen, a Catmosphere Fellow with Conservation Nation, is a conservation biologist and PhD candidate at Manchester Metropolitan University, specializing in the conservation of endemic Caribbean birds. Her research focuses on Hispaniolan parrots, integrating ecological field data with social science to address illegal wildlife trade affecting the Hispaniolan Amazon and Hispaniolan Parakeet.
For the last ten years, Andrea has been a project manager at the nonprofit Grupo Jaragua, which works to conserve biodiversity across the island of Hispaniola. She collaborates closely with local communities, NGOs, and government partners to design conservation planning tools, education programs, biodiversity monitoring programs, and social marketing campaigns that strengthen local capacity and deliver measurable conservation outcomes. Andrea also serves on the Board of Directors of BirdsCaribbean, supporting regional avian conservation initiatives.
From Research to Action: Conserving Hispaniolan Parrots through Collaborative Planning and Social Marketing
Andrea’s project centers on the development and adoption of a Parrot Conservation Action Plan. The Action Plan will be advanced through a parrot awareness education and marketing campaign set to reach over 10,000 people, the creation of new education tools, and the training of local community members, park rangers, teachers, and biologists to serve as parrot conservation stewards. It will serve to protect two threatened parrot species and their ecosystems, addressing dramatic population declines experienced over the 20th century. It will also build local capacity and enhance local knowledge and stewardship, increasing the long-term sustainability of parrot conservation efforts in the region.