Local beekeepers in the buffer zones of Sierra de Bahoruco National Park, Dominican Republic, have turned conservation into a successful business. Every batch of honey they announce for sale on Facebook sells out the same day, indicating high demand. This initiative, led by Fondazione AVSI and supported by the World Bank’s Caribbean Hotspot Project, has trained 40 local women in beekeeping and flora preservation. They have planted 10 hectares of native trees essential for pollinators.
With new equipment to increase production, plans are underway to implement a "payments for ecosystem services" scheme to provide financial incentives for ecological benefits from tree planting. The project shows that biodiversity protection can coexist with economic growth.
Across the Caribbean, similar initiatives are gaining momentum. The Caribbean Hotspot Project is supporting local organizations through the Critical Ecosystems Partnership Fund to conserve biodiversity and empower communities. Projects include beekeeping, shade-grown coffee production, climate risk mapping, and species recovery programs.
In the Dominican Republic, SOH Conservación is aiding farmers in producing shade-grown coffee certified as Bird Friendly. This initiative has trained over 56 growers in organic agriculture and agroforestry practices. Coffee producers have exported their specialty Bahoruco coffee internationally at premium prices after obtaining certification.
Efforts to protect critically endangered species like the Ridgway’s Hawk are also underway. The Peregrine Fund and Fondo Peregrino developed a ten-year conservation plan supported by CEPF to manage hawk pairs in Los Haitises National Park and engage communities in conservation efforts.
In St. Vincent and the Grenadines, JEMS leads climate risk mapping projects that equip communities with tools to protect ecosystems from climate threats like hurricanes. Their work includes establishing a Climate Change Association effective during emergencies such as Hurricane Beryl.
CEPF supports Conservation Action Plans across five Caribbean islands for nine priority species through Re:wild's leadership. These plans focus on capacity building and technical conservation actions while fostering regional collaboration through knowledge-sharing platforms like webinars.
The World Bank’s team leader Natalia Magradze highlights these projects as promising models for biodiversity conservation and community empowerment amid environmental challenges in the region.
The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund - Caribbean Hotspot Project supports civil society organizations active in biodiversity conservation with US$13.9 million funding through grants based on proposals from CSOs working across seven Caribbean countries: Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Haiti, St Lucia, The Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda, and St Vincent and Grenadines.