Dominican Republic: Reimagining Community and Biodiversity Conservation

At the border of Valle Nuevo National Park in the Dominican Republic, there is an abandoned community center known as "Las Golondrinas." Its name pays homage to the endemic bird species that live in the National Park. The center, built in 2010, was envisioned as a gathering place for the local communities, providing a space to foster social connections and discuss how to better protect the area's precious asset - Valle Nuevo National Park.

However, the aspiration remained unfulfilled: the community center descended into shadow due to lack of financial support and ownership. This is particularly concerning, given the importance of Valle Nuevo National Park.

Located in the heart of the Central Mountain Range, Valle Nuevo is a key conservation area for water, energy, and biodiversity production. It spans over 11 provinces and 36 municipalities, with a population of more than 1.5 million people. It contains more than 700 water systems and serves as a crucial source of fresh water for much of the country. These systems feed rivers and aquifers that supply thousands of people, earning it the name "Madre de las Aguas," and UNESCO's designation as a Biosphere Reserve. Valle Nuevo also moderates the climate, not only in the area but also on the whole island. It is part of an ecological system that causes rainfall, allowing the country to better cope with the drought season. It is also known for the high number of birds and plant species found exclusively in this area.

However, this rich ecosystem faces a series of threats, including deforestation, pollution, invasive tourism, agricultural encroachment, and lack of community engagement. In a place like Valle Nuevo, where the well-being of both the environment and the community are deeply intertwined, active participation and involvement from locals are crucial.

These communities, such as El Convento and La Sabina, possess invaluable traditional knowledge about the region's ecosystems. Yet, they have not been actively engaged in conservation efforts due to many residents prioritizing agricultural livelihoods over anything else. This presented a challenge, hindering the effectiveness of national and international environmental protection initiatives.

Engaging Communities and Fostering Collaboration

With the help of local partners, the World Bank is changing this narrative through a new project that underscores the idea that addressing conservation challenges relies on the collective effort and collaboration of various stakeholders, including governments, civil society organizations, and communities. In essence, environmental protection is everybody's business, and no single player can do it alone.

The Collaborative Social Accountability for Improved Governance in Protecting Biodiversity Hotspots Project, funded by the GPSA Program is helping to engage citizens in biodiversity protection through collaborative social responsibility.

To realize this vision the project partnered with the José Delio Guzmán Foundation, an organization with 24 years of conservation efforts in Valle Nuevo, and INTEC, one of the country's leading private universities. The foundation helped the project connect with communities and motivated local officials, community leaders, and young people to participate. The university offered workshops and capacity building.

The project provided training in natural resource management and collaborative social responsibility. Participants learned about conservation concepts, identified the most pressing issues, and explored methods to propose solutions.

Empowering Youth to Advocate for Conservation

With the assistance of the José Delio Guzmán Foundation, the project engaged in open conversations with youth communities, empowering them to become conservation advocates and seek specific actions from their local government to protect their environment.

Thanks to the project's support, these motivated young individuals have decided to launch an eco-tourism initiative in Valle Nuevo for income generation. They identified a picturesque location with waterfalls and caves. Their plan is to make this trail operational, inviting visitors to explore and appreciate the natural beauty of the area.

The foundation also played a key role in connecting communities around the National Park, facilitating collaborative efforts focused on reforestation and launching educational campaigns to raise awareness about the importance of preserving Valle Nuevo's biodiversity.

"Communities residing near Valle Nuevo depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. Through this project we engaged with the front liners -communities nearest to the park- to introduce them to more environmentally friendly agricultural practices and biodiversity techniques," says Manuel Hernández, a Project Manager from INTEC. However, according to Hernandez this alone is not enough. "It's challenging to ask people to care for biodiversity if their basic needs are not met. What we should do is give them other livelihood sources, like eco-tourism. We focused on knowledge sharing and capacity building in this direction, and now community members have the agency to effect positive changes."

For Natalia Magradze, an Environmental Specialist at the World Bank and a Team Leader for the project, community development is not a short-term intervention but rather a long-term sustainable behavioral change. "We are already witnessing it happening: the young people from El Convento are breaking generational patterns - livelihoods based on agriculture - and developing eco-tourism initiatives that will benefit conservation efforts and provide people new sources of income. This is a significant achievement."

From Abandonment to Purpose

The project is currently collaborating with the youth group and other community members to build long-term capacity. It has provided several training sessions, covering topics such as eco-tourism management, collaborative social accountability, and community empowerment. The goal is to ensure that communities actively participate in the decision-making process and are empowered to advocate for improved service delivery using various tools.

Valle Nuevo community members now meet weekly to discuss their plans and generate ideas for advancing eco-tourism initiatives. Fortunately, they have a gathering place: Las Golondrinas, once an abandoned community center, now transformed into a bustling hub for biodiversity conservation and community development - the way it was meant to be.

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