Las Salinas & Laguna Cabral (República Dominicana)

About the Program
The Las Salinas CEMEX quarry installation is found along the northern edge of the Barahona province in the Dominican Republic. It lies in the eastern end of a biological corridor known as the Corredor Biológico La Florida-Las Salinas, which connects a nearby wildlife refuge and national parks to the UNESCO-designated Jaragua-Bahoruco-Enriquillo Biosphere Reserve. Although the region encompasses a variety of habitat types, the dry forest ecosystem is the focus of most of the program’s conservation efforts — particularly in two sites, Las Salinas and La Florida. A wetland habitat at Laguna Cabral is also targeted for monitoring and protection. CEMEX, together with its partners, most notably local conservation non-profit Grupo Jaragua, have created a program to restore of the dry forest, conserve two endangered species of iguana, protect the Laguna Cabral wetland habitat and build capacity and raise awareness in the community in a manner that generates support for conservation and fosters participatory conservation.

Practices and Impacts

• The forest project has expanded into a landscape-wide effort that targets the native dry forest for reforestation efforts. Native plant species are selected based on their utility as food items for two endangered iguana species. Since 2017, 55.4 acres have been restored in the Las Salinas, and 1324.5 acres in the La Florida sections of the corridor. Opportunities to assist in this project’s monitoring efforts provide alternative sources of income for locals.
• Two endemic endangered species, the rhinoceros iguana and Ricord’s iguana, are the focus of this program’s reptile project. The habitat is actively patrolled for threats such as poaching and habitat threats such as charcoal kilns. The presence of the iguanas is used as an indicator of success of the forest project’s reforestation efforts, and in turn, those efforts support the survival of these two species by providing foraging, shelter and nesting structure.
• The team works with the community to implement good practices of the use and management of biodiversity in Laguna Cabral and its main watersheds through the research and monitoring of key species and bioindicators.
• Awareness and outreach efforts include workshops that foster a positive public perception of the iguana and increase knowledge about the species and the importance of their survival through conservation efforts. Annually, this educational project reaches over 1000 elementary students and teachers in local communities.