Counterpart International

Counterpart International works with organizations and communities to tackle issues that threaten their lives and undermine their futures. This award will allow Counterpart and its national partner in Dominican Republic, AgroFrontera, to support the implementation of a co-management plan for Montecristi National Park, designed and agreed to by fisher communities and the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources. This work is taking place within the context of a larger national framework for improving coastal resilience in Dominican Republic. Counterpart and AgroFrontera are working with artisanal fisher associations to promote the widespread adoption of responsible fishing practices as a principal driver to long-term marine biodiversity conservation. The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources is interested in this as a national model for fisheries co-management.

Counterpart International works globally to build sustainable, practical and culturally appropriate development. In the Dominican Republic it concentrates on building public-private alliances around coral reef conservation and fishery management. This planning grant elevates MacArthur supported work with farmer and fisher groups, scientists and the government to a bi-national scale with Haiti. CI will work closely to design a responsible community-based fishing model; 2) strengthen the capacity of co-management of Monte Cristi National Park; and 3) explore means to expand the conservation, development, and governance model to neighboring Northeast Haiti.

To improve agriculture and fishery practices in the buffer zone of Monte Cristi National Park, Dominican Republic (over three years).

To protect coastal marine biodiversity in Monte Cristi National Park, Dominican Republic (over three years).

To support a coral restoration initiative in Fiji (over three years).