09/09/2025
The Eco-Tourism Floating Platform of Montecristi is an initiative of IDDI, our sister foundation in the Dominican Republic, together with AgroFrontera, financed by the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF)
What is the floating platform?
• Floating infrastructure for ecotourism, environmental education, and visitor management in the protected area of Montecristi (El Morro National Park).
• It is a community donation to the association of maritime and land tour operators of Montecristi to strengthen the local ecotourism offer.
Who is involved?
• Leadership and ex*****on: IDDI and AgroFrontera.
• Financing: Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF), a regional program for conservation and ecosystem-based adaptation.
What is it for?
• Economic diversification: helps fishers and local guides transition into ecotourism, reducing pressure on fisheries and generating sustainable alternative incomes.
• Public use management: enables safe and controlled visits to mangroves and channels, minimizing impacts on sensitive habitats.
• It serves as a educational platform for environmental interpretation and activities of the Mangrove Living Lab in Montecristi, a model recognized by SEI as an example of coastal restoration and resilience.
Why Montecristi?
• National capital of mangroves: Montecristi province hosts 6,072 ha of mangroves, key ecosystems for fisheries, tourism, and coastal protection against climate change.
• Complementary CBF/IDDI interventions: restoration of freshwater flows and rechanneling that brought back fish and fauna to the mangroves; the platform complements these actions by channeling nature-based tourism.
• Cross-border project in the Montecristi–Bahía de Manzanillo landscape: focuses on biodiversity conservation and livelihoods in the face of threats from climate, traditional fishing, and tourism infrastructure.
