AVSI began working in the Dominican Republic in 2012, with projects along the border with Haiti.

The first interventions focused on the protection of Haitian migrants, with particular attention to unaccompanied minors, and on the protection of natural areas along the border (Pic Macaya and Nalga de Maco).

In 2021, AVSI obtained formal recognition from the Dominican government and opened an office in the capital, Santo Domingo. Today, AVSI’s main areas of intervention in the Dominican Republic are environmental protection, mitigating the impact of climate change, and supporting economic activities.

The Dominican Republic is one of the countries in the Antilles with high biodiversity and a high percentage of endemic species* (*meaning that some plant or animal species are found exclusively within its territory). Its rich biodiversity creates unique ecosystems of high ecological value. AVSI works through its projects to promote the conservation of these ecosystems and environmental protection, while also fostering the development of local and sustainable economic activities.

In the mountains of south-western Dominican Republic, between the provinces of Independencia and Bahoruco, lies the Parque Nacional Lago Enriquillo e Isla Cabritos, home to the largest saltwater lake in the Caribbean. Its waters, located around forty metres below sea level, change colour and shape with the seasons and host extraordinary biodiversity, including iguanas, American crocodiles and migratory birds.

Since 2024, in this park AVSI has been implementing the project Action for the conservation and protection of the biodiversity of the Parque Nacional Lago Enriquillo with the support of the CEPF.

The initiative has contributed to the process of updating the park’s management plan, which dates back to 2012. It is also equipping park rangers, rehabilitating trails and symbolic sites such as Isla Cabritos, carrying out reforestation and constructing anti-erosion barriers. At the same time, environmental training and awareness-raising courses have been launched for members of surrounding communities, with particular attention to the participation of women and young people.

Also in the Parque Nacional Lago Enriquillo, since January 2026 AVSI has been collaborating with AVAID, a founding member of AVSI, to contribute to the area’s biodiversity and improve living conditions for local communities through the EcoEnriquillo project, funded by the Canton of Ticino as part of the FOSIT calls for proposals.

The Laguna Saladilla Nature Reserve is located in the province of Montecristi, in the north-western region of the Dominican Republic, near the town of Carbonera, close to Manzanillo Bay and the border with Haiti. The lagoon contains several types of ecosystems, including the water basin fed by the Masacre River and dry and semi-humid forest. Both the area’s biodiversity and the fragile local economy, which is mainly based on fishing, are currently threatened by the overexploitation of natural resources and the rapid spread of invasive species from the Amazon basin, such as Pez Diablo (Hypostomus plecostomus).

From October 2025 to June 2026, AVSI worked with the Ministry of Environment of the Dominican Republic to promote participatory management of natural resources, through a pilot project supported by Japanese cooperation through JICA. The initiative involved rural communities of fishermen, farmers and livestock breeders.

The ultimate goal is to reduce the impact of invasive species through an innovative fishmeal production system, with the resulting product used as fertiliser and animal feed. At the same time, communities have played an active role in water quality monitoring activities and environmental education programmes involving both adults and children.

Since 2023, AVSI has been working together with the “Valter Cantino” Department of Management at the University of Turin on the UNITO project, which combines academic training and community strengthening in the Sierra de Neyba and Lago Enriquillo area. The initiative currently supports the coffee producers’ cooperative COOPROCASINE in its administrative management and promotes sustainable ecotourism activities, involving young people and communities in the creation of itineraries and connections with national tourism agencies.

In parallel, the project in Parque Nacional Lago Enriquillo also contributes to enhancing the park’s tourism potential by upgrading infrastructure and trails and fostering the development of tourism that respects the ecosystem and can generate new sources of income without compromising biodiversity.

Environmental education is a cross-cutting component of all AVSI projects. Through workshops and participatory monitoring programmes, students, young people and families are involved in understanding the ecological dynamics of their territories and acquiring practical tools for their protection.

Each project has contributed to strengthening the awareness that nature is not simply an asset to be protected, but a living resource that, when managed sustainably, can become a driver of development and community cohesion.

AVSI has also worked in the province of Bahoruco on a reforestation and ecosystem restoration project in the buffer areas of Sierra de Bahoruco National Park, combining the planting of native species with an ecological beekeeping model. With the support of CEPF, 60 beehives were created, 10,000 endemic plants were planted, and local economic skills were strengthened.

In parallel, in the provinces of Dajabón and Santiago Rodríguez, AVSI collaborated with the company Treedom on the “Producimos y protegemos” (2022–24) project, planting more than 112,000 trees and improving the income of around 600 farmers.

In 2023, AVSI worked on the reforestation and restoration of a mangrove forest ecosystem in the province of Montecristi, in the north-west of the Dominican Republic, through a project that established a participatory model for sustainable environmental, social and economic management. Scientific studies were carried out, reforestation activities were implemented with 4,000 plants, and awareness-raising programmes were organised in schools and communities. Alongside these activities, innovative production practices were tested, including fish farming, beekeeping and more sustainable agriculture, together with the promotion of ecotourism.

Disinformation and growing distrust of traditional media and democratic and government institutions have distanced people from active participation in political life in the Dominican Republic. For this reason, civil society organisations working to promote human rights are called upon to identify new ways of engaging citizens, particularly younger generations, and to develop new intervention models to achieve a more significant impact.

AVSI has been working for years to strengthen participation and democratic initiatives for the protection and promotion of human rights. In particular, in 2024 it supported 50 civil society organisations that are members of the Foro Ciudadano in Santo Domingo through the project Un foro para tod@s: Fortalecimiento y articulación del Foro Ciudadano para la protección y promoción de los Derechos Humanos en República Dominicana, funded by the European Union and implemented in partnership with the Centro de Investigación y Promoción Social – CIPROS.

The Dominican Republic occupies the eastern part of the island of Quisqueya. To the west lies Haiti, one of the world’s poorest and most unstable countries: more than 60% of Haitians currently live in extreme poverty (World Bank, 2024).

Many people seek to leave Haiti, and the least costly option is to cross the border into the Dominican Republic. The gap between the two countries is significant: today, GDP per capita in the Dominican Republic is almost USD 11,000, compared with around USD 2,000 in Haiti.

Migration from Haiti has a long history; however, the country’s severe political and social crisis in recent years, together with the different levels of development between the two countries, has influenced and encouraged both regular and irregular spontaneous migration flows.

More than 700,000 Haitians live in the Dominican Republic, and most work in sugarcane fields, tourism and construction, performing low-skilled but essential jobs in the Dominican labour market. They are a fundamental resource for the agricultural sector, yet most live in extremely vulnerable conditions.

With regard to migration-related programmes, AVSI adopts an approach based on identifying and supporting local organisations already active along the border in the promotion of the human rights of Haitian migrants, accompanying them in strengthening their organisations and developing their capacities. A significant example dates back to 2018, when AVSI began collaborating with ASOMILIN (Asociación Solidaria de los Obreros Migrantes de la Línea Noroeste), an organisation that provides reception, training, protection, and legal and documentation services to Haitian migrant workers living in the border provinces of Dajabón, Montecristi, Santiago Rodríguez and Mao-Valverde.