Success Story

Nature Guides Nurture Safety and Development

USAID/DR assists nature guides in getting local government and community buy-in for their ecotourism enterprise

Challenge

The 27 Charcos National Monument is part of the Damajagua River, located in Llanos de Pérez, a small community near the northern Dominican shores.
Until recently, tourists would visit the sites by themselves, or in some cases accompanied by inexperienced and unprepared tour guides. As a result, the guides were underpaid; the natural treasure was being polluted and mismanaged and tourists were injured frequently. The existing Damajagua River Guide Association lacked the legal authority, know-how and funds to turn this initiative into an ecotourism enterprise that could translate into more income for the community and safer visits for tourists.

Initiative

USAID awarded the Guide Association a grant under its Environmental Protection Investment Fund (EPIF). USAID assisted the Association in the elaboration of a “Management Plan” for the Natural Monument. With USAID backing and technical assistance, the Association started gaining support from the local government, the community and the People of the United States. The municipal authorities contributed to the project by providing machinery for the adaptation of the area into a visitor-friendly site and the Peace Corps contributed by providing volunteers to organize and train the guides. 

Results

Last November, the US Ambassador to the Dominican Republic, Hans H. Hertell; the USAID Mission Director, Elena Brineman; and Romeo Massey, Peace Corps Director, visited Damajagua to witness the signing of a co-management agreement between the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and the Damajagua River Guide Association.

This agreement allows the Association to establish a system of rules and regulations for the protection of the Natural Monument and of the tourists. In addition, the guides will continue their safety, environmental and language training, through which they support the construction of an ecotourism infrastructure for the area. The agreement also allows them to set a visitor’s fee, which results in better income for the people working there. A percentage of the funds received from the entry fee will be assigned to a community fund that will be used to assist in the development of the communities living around the Natural Monument.