海角大神

It wasn鈥檛 long ago that conservationist Francisco N煤帽ez would set out by mule on one of his weekslong treks into the mountainous region known as the 鈥淢other of the Water,鈥� kicking up dust from the parched land underfoot.

Over the past 100 years, the land was stripped of trees for ranching and has deteriorated amid natural disasters and soaring demand for water in the Dominican Republic鈥檚 cities. As a result, the nation鈥檚 four watersheds have been under severe strain, setting off extreme drought in 2015.

Mr. N煤帽ez鈥檚 treks look vastly different from a decade ago, despite ongoing water scarcity, thanks to his dedication to recuperating the watersheds. The brown dirt has slowly been replaced by green grass, and Mr. N煤帽ez now ducks under branches as he weaves in and out of the lush tree coverage planted to protect coffee and cacao crops across the mountainsides.

This project, part of a broader initiative known as the Latin America Water Funds Partnership, which has created 24 water funds across the region, was successful in part because it involved an array of interests, from the private sector to government officials to local farmers.聽

Communities are paid to plant trees, which help prevent soil erosion, enabling the ground to retain its water and revitalize watersheds. Between 2011 and 2023, nearly 5,000 acres of water-producing ecosystems located in the Dominican Republic鈥檚 mountains have been restored, connecting hundreds of families with clean water.

鈥淭here鈥檚 an understanding now that to fix the water crisis, we need to rebuild the watersheds,鈥� says Mr. N煤帽ez. 鈥淭his model is about everybody coming together ... to work together with the same goal,鈥� he says.聽

Photo courtesy of The Nature Conservancy

A lush, healthy landscape is seen in the Yaque del Norte watershed.

From frogs to forest

In many ways, Mr. N煤帽ez was born to be a conservationist. His mother, Ana Mercedes Henriquez, was a pioneering environmentalist here. As a boy, Mr. N煤帽ez helped care for the amphibians she鈥檇 bring home for research, and he鈥檇 tag along on trips into the field, where his passion for the environment, hikes, and the mountains grew.

鈥淚 was her personal assistant from age 12,鈥� he says with a laugh. 鈥淚 even received a little salary for taking care of the frogs.鈥澛�

After completing undergraduate studies in the Dominican Republic, he went on to the United States on a Fulbright scholarship, where he focused on animal behavior, evolution, and ecology in New York. But he couldn鈥檛 stop thinking about the environmental challenges unfolding back home, where ranches, agriculture, and development were putting extreme pressures on the country鈥檚 infrastructure and natural resources.

鈥淚 realized I needed to pay attention to conservation of my home country鈥檚 biodiversity,鈥� he says. 鈥淭here was a need to go beyond just scientific studies.鈥� He returned home, and since 1999, he鈥檚 served as the Greater Antilles program director for The Nature Conservancy, an international nonprofit.

鈥淥ur country is in severe drought,鈥� Mr. N煤帽ez says, noting that some residents of the capital have gone without water for more than three weeks at a time. 鈥淭here鈥檚 been almost a century of overusing our natural resources.鈥� But in recent years, 鈥渢he government and the people are understanding that water is a major issue鈥� that needs to be addressed, he says.

Water supply isn鈥檛 exactly the problem; it鈥檚 the degradation of the forest cover in the mountains, as well as high consumption, that鈥檚 making the resource scarce. There鈥檚 plenty of rain in the mountains, but it needs to be retained in the ecosystem when it falls and then managed farther downstream, Mr. N煤帽ez says.

He helped develop the Latin America Water Funds Partnership, which works across the region to tackle water insecurity. The Nature Conservancy is one of the fund鈥檚 partners, alongside the Inter-American Development Bank and a handful of regional conservation nonprofits. Funding for the Santo Domingo and Yaque del Norte water funds in the Dominican Republic comes from 30 private companies and foundations, including The Coca-Cola Co. Perhaps most importantly, the project works with over 300 local families.

At first, persuading communities to support the initiative was a challenge. There was little trust in outside programs and not much understanding of how forests could reduce soil erosion and aid the health of rivers and crops. It took months, he says, to persuade the initial farmers to sign up, visiting small creeks and pointing out where different tree species could help restore the waterways. 鈥淲e convinced a couple of farmers,鈥� Mr. N煤帽ez remembers, 鈥渁nd once everybody saw how well this was working, they started lining up to be a part.鈥�

Photo courtesy of The Nature Conservancy

Locals and stakeholders of the Santo Domingo Water Fund plant saplings in the Yaque del Norte watershed.

Water and economy

Local farmers are compensated for planting trees on their farmland. Mr. N煤帽ez鈥檚 team provides seeds and fertilizers, as well as training in best agricultural practices. There are additional payments made to participants for tree upkeep, including cleaning around the roots and applying fertilizer if needed. The farmers are also earning money from the sale of the crops. Mr. N煤帽ez and his team return every few months 鈥� and still check in on communities that have been working with them for the past decade. 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽

Esteban Polanco, who heads a farmers association working to combat drought and heal the degraded landscape, describes the project as solving a 鈥渇undamental鈥� issue in the community. Mr. N煤帽ez and his team have helped build infrastructure to hold returning water, including pipes, small聽aqueducts, and water tanks.

It 鈥渂rings relief to the great needs of the community,鈥� Mr. Polanco says. Today, there are more people waiting to join the efforts than Mr. N煤帽ez can accommodate. 鈥淲hen you see your neighbor is benefiting from something, you want to benefit, too.鈥澛�

To date, no farmers have pulled out of the program. 鈥淔or local agricultural families it creates an influx of jobs and economic opportunities,鈥� adds Mr. Polanco.聽

The Dominican Republic鈥檚 water funds are some of the 鈥渂est examples鈥� of collaborative environmentalism in Latin America, says Milagros de Camps, deputy minister of international cooperation in the Ministry of Environment. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an example of where we can truly demonstrate that by bringing together the community with the public and private sectors, we can take more efficient steps to help tackle climate change.鈥�

The legacy continues

Although Mr. N煤帽ez has helped restore thousands of acres of degraded land, he sees his personal impact as small. Over the next decade he hopes to double the number of acres restored. And perhaps, he says, this work won鈥檛 stop with him.聽

His daughter is a biologist studying invasive species here 鈥� the family鈥檚 third generation to fight for the nation鈥檚 natural resources. Mr. N煤帽ez鈥檚 wife is also a scientist, and as in his childhood, together they took their daughter on trips into the field when she was growing up.

It鈥檚 鈥渘ot a coincidence,鈥� he chuckles. 鈥淢ore than ever, this is the time that the planet needs more people dedicated to saving it.鈥�