In the southeastern corner of the DR, the Cotubanamá Park (before known as East National Park) was established in 1975 to protect about 41,000 hectares (102,000 acres) of land and sea ecosystems. That area, which includes the well-known Saona Island, has long been a popular tourism destination, but today there are numerous hotels and resorts lining the coast from nearly 100 kilometers north of the Cotubanamá Park to nearly 100 kilometers west of it. The number of boats, tourists, fishers, swimmers, and divers is overwhelming the sea life along the coast, which in turn is threatening the tourism industry that relies on healthy reefs.
In response, a new and unique marine sanctuary has recently been declared, which will expand the East National Park’s marine protection from 41,000 hectares to a whopping 300,000 hectares, renaming it the Southeast Marine Sanctuary, thus making it one of the largest protected areas in the Caribbean. A recent collaboration between the Carnegie Airborne Observatory and The Nature Conservancy in the Caribbean will yield high-resolution maps of the new sanctuary using data collected from satellites, aircraft, drones, and by scuba divers. These detailed maps will enable managers to make important marine spatial planning decisions that appropriately allocate conservation efforts throughout the sanctuary.
Yet even more impressive is the developing management of the new sanctuary. The protected area will be divided into two zones, each to be co-managed by a diverse group of stakeholders organized into a nonprofit. The Eastern zone will be overseen by the Alliance for the Eastern Reef Sanctuary. Its board will consist primarily of the Grupo Puntacana Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, Altagracia Hotel and Restaurant Association, Altagracia Tourism Cluster, Association of Aquatic Centers, and U.N. Blue Finance, which provided the start-up loan for the sanctuary. The Southern zone will be overseen by a similar entity, also supported by a complex group of foundations and stakeholders. Its board will consist of La Romana Hotel Association, La Romana Tourism Cluster, Fundación Dominicana de Estudios Marinos (FUNDEMAR), the Central Romana Foundation, U.N. Blue Finance, and The Nature Conservancy. Additionally, a larger, even more diverse board of government entities, foundations, community groups, and fishermen associations will advise the management of both the Eastern and Southern zones. Together, the Southern and Eastern zones will submit joint reports and management plans to the Ministry of Environment of the Dominican Republic.
The structure of its oversight – specifically the collaboration and engagement of such a huge range of stakeholders, from the federal government to local fishermen and from environmental groups to hotel associations – makes this new marine sanctuary remarkable. The buy-in from stakeholders who directly rely on marine resources, whether for their livelihood or for tourism, promises sustained commitment to ensuring that this is more than just a “paper park”. This oversight, in conjunction with a detailed understanding of the reefs distribution and condition provided by the high-resolution maps, are securing a promising future of effective conservation and management of this important biodiversity hotspot. As global-scale stressors like warming ocean temperatures and tropical storms increase pressure on the world’s coral reefs, conservation efforts are focused on reducing local pressures like overfishing, development, and pollution. Marine sanctuaries, such as this one that bring all voices to the table, provide a blueprint for other regions to follow.
About the authors and the Reefscape Project: Greg Asner is a Senior Staff Scientist with the Carnegie Institution for Science. His scientific interests span the fields of ecology, conservation science, remote sensing and climate change. Clare LeDuff is the program manager of the Carnegie Airborne Observatory at the Carnegie Institution for Science. Her interests range from conservation biology to the effects of climate change on agricultural systems. The Reefscape project is supported by the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation and partnering organizations.
This story first appeared on Mongabay
South Africa Today – Environment
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