Protecting the forest: ecotourism generates jobs in the Dominican Republic

In the Saltos de Jima Natural Monument, in the heart of the Dominican Republic, the forest is not just scenery - it's a source of jobs. The 23 waterfalls that make up this area, 12 of which are open to visitors, draw large numbers of tourists and have become the livelihood of hundreds of families.

Protected areas open to tourism in the Dominican Republic receive more than 2 million visitors a year. That number reflects growing interest in natural destinations, and visitors need tourism services, many of which are provided by nearby communities.

Andrés Santos is 30 years old and has spent half his life connected to the waterfalls. When the area was declared protected in 2009, he was 14, and he became one of the first in the community to train as a nature guide. Today he chairs the Tourist Guides Association, which brings together local young people.

"My greatest pride is that, instead of having to leave this community to look for a job, we can have jobs in our own community," he says.

The link between tourism, jobs, and conservation is no coincidence. It's part of a broader strategy under the Emission Reductions Payment Agreement (ERPA), which, with support from the World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF), seeks to protect Dominican forests while generating economic opportunities in local communities. This conservation work matters: 85% of the Dominican Republic's water comes from forests within protected natural areas, which cover roughly 25% of the country's territory.

Under this agreement, the country receives financing for reducing carbon emissions by keeping its forests standing, and 30% of those funds go toward strengthening the management of protected areas and ecotourism within them. These resources help train local guides, improve visitor infrastructure, and create new jobs linked to the sustainable management of the land. They also help build environmental governance to strengthen the protected natural areas system.

The young people guarding the forest

Migration is one of the main challenges facing rural communities in the Dominican Republic today. Young people look for work in cities and abroad, and when they leave, the forest loses a generation of caretakers.

Sustainable tourism can be part of the answer. Through jobs like tourist guides, young people earn income that opens up opportunities without having to leave their land.

"Sustainable community tourism meant generating income in an honest way, and through that income we are able to help our families and collaborate with our communities. It's also made it possible for us to keep studying, whether in high school or university," Andrés explains.

The association doesn't just manage visits. It also organizes environmental education talks in the communities, cleanup days, and awareness activities. At the Saltos de Jima Natural Monument, 18 young people from different communities have found both an identity and a livelihood in the forest.

Leading from within

Ana María de Jesús de Mena is an engineer. She worked as a foreman and arrived at the Saltos de Jima Natural Monument a few years ago, where she built alliances over time to achieve what she describes as her greatest source of pride: bringing the community together around a shared goal - preserving the forest.

Ana now manages the area, and - much like the women coffee growers of the Dominican mountain ranges - her leadership was built through persistence in a sector historically dominated by men.

"Men don't take well to being managed by women, and that's been a challenge for me too. When I came in, I found the area at 40%, and now I've brought it to 90% in terms of change, compliance, and upkeep," she says.

Since Ana took over as a chief administrator, more women have joined in similar roles. "After me, other women have come in. I've shown that yes, we can do this work, and that yes, we can manage a protected area," she says.

A treasure worth defending

Andrés talks about the protected area in terms of heritage and responsibility. For him, preserving the forest isn't just a job - it's a decision about what kind of future to leave for the generations to come.

"Today, we young people can raise awareness about caring for and preserving natural resources for present and future generations, since this is the engine driving sustainable development for this whole community," he says.

Ana, for her part, envisions turning the monument into a national reference center for conservation - a destination that draws visitors from across the country and showcases the value of the waterfalls the area holds.

"I defend this land with everything I have, body and soul. Because I feel it has incalculable value. It's something natural that I don't know how God made it, but I do know we're here to protect and care for it."

The Saltos de Jima Natural Monument is not just a natural attraction. It's also Ana's livelihood, Andrés's pride, and the bet that many young people made by deciding to stay. The logic behind the partnership with the World Bank and the FCPF turns that commitment into something tangible: preserving the forest is no longer just an ecological value - it becomes a concrete source of job opportunities for the communities that protect it.