The Dominican Republic has formally committed to protecting 30.8 percent of its waters, creating marine protected areas six years ahead of the intended goal. The landmark declaration makes the Dominican one of only a handful of countries in the world to have formally committed to protecting over 30 percent of its waters, making good Global Biodiversity Framework promises to reach the target by 2030.
The waters around the Dominican Republic are feeding grounds and travel routes for rare seabirds and turtles as well as being a nursery ground for Oceanic Whitetip sharks and calving grounds for North Atlantic Humpback Whales. The 30.8 percent official designation includes a critical transboundary MPA – the first in the Caribbean- straddling the Colombian boundary on the Beata Ridge seamount.
“We are very proud to have our new marine protected areas,” said Jonathon Delance on behalf of the Dominican Republic government. “The fact that we’re expanding our protected ecosystems is a huge achievement for the Dominican Republic. We’re reaching 30% today, six years before the goal. We are very happy to have been in contact with so many allies around the world who shared with us their technical expertise, funding our priorities of research, so we can finally have reached this incredible goal to have protected 30% of our ocean.”
The designations have been based on the scientific information from two major expeditions which took place this year. The first of two research expeditions concentrated on the southern side of the Beata Ridge – an area of critical importance for cetaceans, sea birds, and sharks, and was Funded by Blue Marine Foundation, Blue Nature Alliance, and Wyss Foundation.
The expedition led by the Caribbean Cetacean Society was the first of its kind in the country to study the species on the Ridge, including visual census, hydro-acoustic technology, baited remote underwater vehicles as well as eDNA (analysed by NatureMetrics). Results showed the area functions as a pivotal region for species connectivity.
A secondary expedition supported by Mission Blue concentrated on Silver Bank, undertaken by Yachts for Science on a Bering Yachts vessel. The Silver Bank is one of the most important breeding and calving grounds for the North Atlantic humpback whale population. Research included photo identification of individuals seen, alongside eDNA sampling to gather a baseline of other marine species in the area.
Dr. Sylvia Earle
Oceanographer and Mission Blue Founder Sylvia Earle said on X “By surpassing the target of 30% of protection ahead of 2030, the Dominican Republic is blazing a trail for other nations, especially in the Caribbean. Let’s keep this momentum going strong – it’s time to turn the tide, together!
Dr Judith Brown, Project Director of Blue Marine Foundation, said “The Government of the Dominican Republic have taken a momentous step toward marine conservation leadership with this evidence-based designation. It will preserve migratory pathways of key species like sperm whales and advance MPA connectivity across borders, hopefully acting as a catalyst to accelerate the establishment of a network of marine protected areas throughout the Caribbean.”
British business magnate Richard Branson said “This is a momentous, wonderful, incredible day. If we can have the world’s oceans, at least 30 per cent of them protected, then it will be a win-win for everybody. It will be a win-win for the fish and the species in the oceans, it will be a win-win for the fishermen in the other 70 per cent of the ocean… It’s great to see the Dominican Republic once again being so bold and brave and leading the way.”
The historical designation has been supported by an announcement film developed by acclaimed ocean storytellers, SeaLegacy. For more info on this press release go to Blue Marine Foundation.
