Haiti.- The Pan American Development Foundation (PADF), with funding from UK International Development through the Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature (Ocean) program, has launched the Blue Hispaniola initiative, a three-year binational project aimed at promoting sustainable marine resource management and strengthening coastal communities in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
The project, unveiled in Ouanaminthe, Haiti, will bring together six partner organizations from both countries to create a cross-border blue economy corridor focused on sustainable fishing, coastal ecosystem conservation, improved market access, and income-generating opportunities.
Blue Hispaniola is expected to benefit more than 8,350 people, with at least 50% of participants being women, while supporting the sustainable management of 92,250 hectares of marine and coastal ecosystems.
Participating organizations include Haiti’s Haïti Efficace, Fondation Essence-Elle, Mouvement Paysan pour le Développement de Paulette, and Groupe Féministe Révolté d’Haïti, along with Dominican partners AgroFrontera and Fundación Reddom. Together, they will strengthen fishing organizations, expand community training, improve access to markets, and promote women’s leadership in fisheries.
PADF officials said the initiative seeks to address challenges such as overfishing, marine habitat degradation, and limited economic opportunities, while protecting mangroves, coral reefs, and other critical coastal ecosystems.
Scheduled to run through 2028, the project aims to become a regional model for cross-border cooperation, combining environmental conservation with sustainable economic development for coastal communities on both sides of Hispaniola.
