Dominican Republic
The subject for my portrait for The Dominican Republic is Olga Vidal Arias , a community leader working in environmental education, biodiversity conservation, co-management of protected areas and enhancing community participation
About Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a North American country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and a land border with Haiti to the west, occupying the eastern five-eighths of Hispaniola which, along with Saint Martin, is one of only two islands in the Caribbean shared by two sovereign states.
The main environmental issues facing The Dominican Republic include widespread deforestation, soil erosion, water pollution from agricultural and urban waste, air pollution in urban areas, and a high vulnerability to climate change events like hurricanes, floods, and droughts
About Olga
The Jaragua National Park in Dominican Republic is co-managed by the government and Grupo Jaragua When I wrote to Grupo Jaragua to ask if they wanted to nominate someone for me to paint they unanimously recommended Olga who has been working in the park for over 35 years
Olga has many roles but has been working principally on the front line in the park amongst local communities educating and engaging people in the value of caring for this unique, biodiverse environment. Olga’s dedication and enthusiasm for this work has shone through and her contribution is unmeasurable
Grupo Jaragua promote the sustainable management of the biodiversity in the National Park, and more widely on a national basis. Their roles include biodiversity conservation, programs including land acquisition to protect critically endangered animals such as the solenodon, scientific study of rare species and community engagement programs
To visit their website please click here
Watch the portrait's story below
This video shows the painting process, and tells some of Olga's story.
