Awards

The Caribbean Hotel Association's Green Area of the Caribbean Award

CHA recognizes La Romana-Bayahibe Hotels in La Romana-Bayahibe have won the Caribbean Hotel Association's Green Area of the Caribbean Award. The award recognizes measures taken by area hotels to safeguard the environment. The award was announced at the Caribbean Hotel Industry Conference in Puerto Rico. It recognizes the efforts of six hotels that joined forces two years ago to carry out a sustainable development program in this eastern beach zone. The members of the association are Casa de Campo, Amhsa Marina Casa del Mar, Viva Dominicus Beach, Viva Dominicus Palace, Gran Dominicus, Coral Canoa and Iberostar Hacienda that joined in 2002. Five of the original six properties have received the certificate of Green Globe Hotel for having adopted policies of low impact on the ecology and programs geared to the conservation of the environment with the support of the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST).

Other projects of note have included the protection of the ocean floor; the solid waste management project; improved infrastructure; environmental education programs for hotel personnel and for the inhabitants of the fishing village of Bayahibe; the Blue Flag Caribe pilot program that focuses on the conservation and maintenance of the area's beaches; reforestation projects; programs geared to the protection of endangered species such as the endemic turtles and iguanas; programs that concentrate on fostering children's awareness of ecology through the group Bayahibe Wardens, among other projects.

The Coral Gardens Dominican Republic Initiative was designed to strengthen linkages between Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), conservation staff, local and national government agencies and the tourism and dive industry. The goal is to build a national network of MPA practitioners and supporters, using specific training sites for establishing best-practices in community processes and multi-stakeholder approaches around DR: Punta Cana, Bayahibe, Sosua and Samana. Staff and administrators of all coastal marine parks are incorporated into training workshops, including Parque National Jaragua, Parque Nacional Submarino la Caleta, and Parque Nacional de Monte Cristi.

With support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Fundacion Global de Democracia and Desarollo (FUNGLODE), Punta Cana Ecological Foundation, and the La Romana-Bayahibe Hotel Association, the project has aimed to support public-private collaboration, sharing of resources and lessons learned in order to strengthen the effective management of MPAs throughout the country. A key aspect of the project is to encourage both established MPAs and those in the process of being formed to use a more participatory multi-stakeholder and community-based approach in their work, building awareness and garnering greater support among fishing communities and tourism sectors for the importance of no-take MPAs as well as steps that can be taken to lower negative land-based and user-based threats to reefs.

The formation of an MPA network has encouraged all stakeholders, including government, public and private sectors to engage into the policy process, pulling together resources to support the effective management of MPAs, putting in place or modifying existing implementation strategies, and ensuring they function appropriately. Consulting with various stakeholders has improved the quality of information in MPA development by creating a two-way flow of ideas with decision makers and allowing for better MPA policy outcomes. Joint decision-making has reinforced commitment and ownership of each stakeholder group enforcing the overall sustainability of the MPA plan.