ASLP Middle School Students will work together to help save endangered species: Pinzon Azul

All Middle School students from the American School of Las Palmas will collaborate with the Centro Integral de Formación Profesional Villa de Agüimes and the “Life Project Pinzon Azul” in a project dedicated to the reforestation of the burned area of La Cumbre due to the wildfires of last year.

The objectives will be to:

· Reforest the areas burned in the fires last summer in Gran Canaria.
· Create “green corridors” for the Pinzon Azul bird population.
· Connect students to the environment of Gran Canaria.

The Gran Canaria blue chaffinch or Pinzon Azul is endemic to this island and is one of the most endangered species of birds on the planet. The reasons are various but the principal ones were the deforestation of Gran Canaria in the early 20th century or more recently, the forest fires. There are currently only about 200-300 of the birds left on the island.
The Pinzón Azul thrives in a habitat where the Canarian pine trees grows. Much of the birds’ local habitat was destroyed during the forest fires last summer. Our students will plant these trees on Monday, March 12th, 2018 around the area of Llanos de la Pez. They will have to hike 3.5 kms to the reforested area and 3.5 kms back out again.

This is an exciting and unique learning opportunity to contribute towards a positive change. All the materials to reforest are provided by the organization we are collaborating with, including trees and professionally trained staff to facilitate the event.

Here is a short description of this beautiful bird which we found in Wikipedia:

“Blue chaffinches resemble common chaffinches, and are a smaller in size than Tenerife blue chaffinches. Other differences are that they have two white bands in the wings very marked, a whiter belly, or less blue shades. Females are a dull grey-brown.”