In the Dominican Republic, the nation’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has rolled out an enhanced, country-wide initiative to curb the growing threat of forest fires, ramping up military-led surveillance, regular patrols and targeted intelligence operations alongside a new temporary prohibition on unapproved agricultural burning.
This coordinated intervention, executed in close partnership with the Dominican military and local emergency response agencies, was designed to reverse a recent upward trend in wildfire incidents across the country and hold accountable any individuals who violate fire management regulations. Authorities have confirmed that blazes breaking out in ecologically critical protected areas, including the iconic Valle Nuevo landscape, Armando Bermúdez National Park and the coastal region of Las Terrenas, have now been fully contained, preventing widespread damage to these ecologically sensitive zones.
Speaking on the core motivations behind the updated strategy, Environment Minister Paíno Henríquez emphasized that over 90 percent of all forest fire incidents recorded in the nation can be traced directly to human activity. He issued a clear warning that anyone found responsible for starting unauthorized fires will face full legal prosecution, noting that unregulated burning poses severe, long-lasting risks to the Dominican Republic’s native forest ecosystems, freshwater reserves and unique biological diversity.
Under the terms of the newly enacted Resolution 0030/2026, all agricultural burning activities carried out through August 31 of this year require prior official approval from government environmental regulators, creating a structured framework to reduce accidental fire outbreaks from common agricultural practices.