Dominican Republic – CMS Party No. 125

 

Bonn, 1 November2017 - CMS is pleased to welcome the Dominican Republic as the 125thParty to the Convention with effect from today.

The Dominican Republic occupies the eastern part of the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles and has one of the region’s most varied climates, with rain forest conditions prevailing in the coastal and lowland areas. The island is prone to hurricanes which are most likely to occur from August to October, and was badly affected by Hurricane Maria in September this year.

The Dominican Republic is a Range State for many migratory species listed under both Appendix I and II of the Convention, including the Blue Whale Balaenoptera musculus, the Sperm Whale Megaptera novaeangliae, the Manatee Trichetus manatus and Mexican Free-tailed Bat Tararida brasiliensis.

Many migratory birds pass through the Dominican Republic, including the Red Knot Calidris canutus, Sanderling Calidris alba, WesternOsprey Pandion haliaetus, Turnstone Arenaria interpres, Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea and Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii.

The Dominican Republic also hosts species from other classes, such as the Green Turtle Chelonia mydas, the Loggerhead Turtle Caretta Caretta, the Hawksbill Turtle Eretmochelys imbricata, the Leatherback Turtle Dermochelys coriacea and the Whale Shark Rhincodon typus.

Other CMS instruments and initiatives of which the Dominican Republic is a Range State include the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks and the Americas Flyways Framework adopted at COP11 under Resolution 11.14.

With the accession of the Dominican Republic the membership of CMS in the South and Central America and Caribbean region has reached 14 – another milestone for the Caribbean sub-region in particular.

Having participated as a non-Party in both the CMS regional preparatory Workshop for Latin America and the Caribbean and the Conference of the Parties itself, Gloria Santana, the Dominican delegate is already well acquainted with CMS topics as well as her regional counterparts. The CMS Secretariat is looking forward to working closely with the Dominican Republic to build a stronger resilience for migratory species in the Caribbean and beyond.

Last updated on 01 November 2017