Cap Cana: a constant commitment to preserving the environment

Punta Cana. DR.- Destination City Cap Cana has focused on prioritizing, respecting, and maintaining the biodiversity that enriches this beautiful place. Today, it celebrates World Environment Day by emphasizing that all species of flora and fauna are the most important

species of flora and fauna are the most important inhabitants, so they have the responsibility to protect and preserve them and conserve the lungs and natural wealth of the area.

To integrate all initiatives and isolated sustainability actions in the same executing arm, the Cap Cana Foundation was created in 2016; a non-profit organization that aims to protect the natural resources located within the Cap Cana Destination City and social strengthen through community development programs and is responsible for implementing programs based on the following strategic axes:

Sustainable services infrastructure 2.

Efficient energy generation

– Wartsilla technology with minimum CO2 emissions.

– Underground wiring system.

– Solar park with a capacity of 2,100 kW of renewable energy.

Responsible aqueduct management

– Gravity distribution of approx. Ten thousand cubic meters per day.

– In the process of replacing pvc piping with polyethylene in preparation for the implementation of water desalination.

Wastewater treatment

– Fully aerobic.

– An average of 3,000 cubic meters of water per day is reused for irrigation of the Punta Espada golf course, Los Establos pasture farms, and nearby areas.

2. Nature-Based Solutions

Rehabilitation of coral reefs:

– Coral nursery with two species reproduced with asexual methodology.

– More than 600 coral fragments reproduced.

– Disease and reef health monitoring.

Reproduction of endangered plants:

– 13 endangered native botanical species.

– More than 8,000 specimens were reproduced in an assisted manner.

– Increased CO₂ absorption capacity, thereby increasing native biodiversity and preventing soil erosion.

Rescue of beehives:

– More 5.8 mm of rescued bees.

– Apiary with organic honey production.

– Training of beekeepers in beehive rescue.

Hives

Risk management strategy:

– Certification of management and operational personnel in the incident command system.

– Creation of a sustainability committee.

– Contingency plan for meteorological events.

– Survey of the physical risk matrix for all areas of operation and contingency plans.

– Survey of carbon sinks and calculation of ecological footprint.

Environment

3. Biodiversity conservation and environmental management

Conservation of threatened fauna:

– Camera trap monitoring of Solenodonte, hutia, and Rhinoceros Iguana.

– Definition of the ecological corridor in an area of wildlife populations.

Wildlife rescue line:

– More than 60 emergencies assisted since 2019.

PET bottle recycling program:

– Collaboration agreement with Cervecería Nacional Dominicana for implementing the Recycle 100+ program, now NUVI PET.

– More than 55,000 pounds of plastic were recovered through this initiative.

Recycling of plastic bottles

Environmental management:

– Marine laboratory for assisted sexual reproduction of corals.

– Wildlife nursery.

– Orchid in-vitro reproduction laboratory.

Environmental projects:

– Nursery of endangered native plants.

– Apiary of rescued beehives.

– Orchid garden of native species.

– Aquaponics system.

– Domestic animal rescue shelter.

A model city

The Cap Cana Destination City Sustainability District is the physical space where the main environmental and social sustainability projects and initiatives the Cap Cana Foundation developed are located.

Administrative offices, Cap Cana Foundation, Environmental Research Center, marine laboratory, botanical laboratory, wildlife care area, virtual museum, housing for technical interns, domestic rescue shelter, orchid garden, native plant nursery, urban garden, apiary of rescued beehives, aquaponics area, compost area, butterfly garden, and bird refuge are the amenities that make up the District.

They will soon work to include assisted sexual reproduction techniques for corals in the program to achieve greater genetic diversity in the rehabilitated reefs and, therefore, a greater possibility of the population’s resilience in the face of stress factors.