In a large-scale coordinated environmental enforcement sweep across the Dominican Republic, government agencies have reclaimed hundreds of acres of protected natural territory, taken hundreds of illegal occupants into custody, and dismantled a wide network of unlawful infrastructure built in ecologically sensitive zones.
Dubbed “Environmental Commitment 2.0,” the operation was spearheaded by the country’s National Environmental Protection Service (SENPA), with cross-agency support from the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Environment, national armed forces, the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor’s Office (PROEDEMAREN), and the General Directorate of Migration. Enforcement teams targeted 14 distinct protected areas spread across the nation, where reports of unauthorised occupation and ecosystem degradation had been mounting for months.
By the conclusion of the multi-site operation, authorities had recovered a total of 775 acres of protected land that had been illegally seized and exploited. A total of 384 individuals were taken into custody for alleged environmental crimes: of those detained, 381 are Haitian nationals and three are Dominican citizens.
Teams also moved to eliminate all unlawful infrastructure established on the protected land, demolishing 30 informal shacks used by illegal occupiers, removing 27 illegally erected boundary fences, and clearing 11 unauthorised farms carved out of protected ecosystems. In addition to the physical structures, law enforcement seized 39 pieces of tools and heavy equipment linked to illegal environmental activity, alongside six pickup trucks and one motorcycle that investigators allege were used to facilitate these unlawful operations.
Senior officials from the participating agencies emphasized that the high-profile sweep is a clear demonstration of the Dominican government’s formal zero-tolerance policy toward activities that threaten the country’s unique protected ecosystems. These activities include illegal land grabbing, slash-and-burn agricultural practices, unregulated logging, and unauthorised construction within protected natural zones — all of which cause irreversible damage to biodiversity, disrupt native habitats, and undermine long-term conservation efforts.
Moving forward, the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Environment, and PROEDEMAREN have confirmed that joint, interagency enforcement operations will continue on a regular basis. The ongoing commitment is designed to safeguard the Dominican Republic’s valuable natural resources, ensure full compliance with national environmental legislation, and deter future illegal incursion into protected areas.