Reliable access to safe water saves lives, improves livelihoods, and makes communities more resilient. While the Dominican Republic’s economic dependence on agriculture and tourism require effective natural resource management for the overall welfare of the population, the country is ranked as one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change. 

With tourism focused on coastal areas representing nearly 20% of the economy, current and future economic growth are dependent on the governments and the communities’ ability to effectively balance the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of water ecosystems. The livelihoods of many rural communities, however, are dependent on the country’s natural resources, vulnerable to the effect of climate change, and have limited access to climate information to reduce risk. Vulnerable communities, particularly those along the Dominican Republic-Haiti border, are among the poorest in the country and have the most limited access to basic services, including water. Water security indicators show that the country is approaching thresholds of water stress and is already experiencing water conflicts and shortages.

Climate change not only affects the welfare of Dajabón communities, but is also exacerbating cross-border conflicts, displacing people, and reversing development gains along the border. The increased frequency and severity of meteorological threats such as tropical storms, floods, reduced precipitation, and droughts—expected to worsen with climate change—is threatening water resources, reducing aquifer recharge and water availability, destroying farms and livelihoods, and exacerbating food security, especially for marginalized communities.