Dominican Republic ramps up forest‑fire prevention and protected‑area operations

Dominican Republic Compromiso Ambiental 2026 forest fire prevention protected areas environmental enforcement

The Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and the Ministry of Defense have launched the inter‑institutional “Compromiso Ambiental 2026” operation across six national parks – Los Haitises, Valle Nuevo, Sierra de Bahoruco, José del Carmen Ramírez, Armando Bermúdez and La Humeadora – to protect and recover protected areas affected by illegal occupation, logging, burning, poaching and other environmental crimes. The operation is carried out by the Servicio Nacional de Protección Ambiental (SENPA) with the support of the army, navy, air force, migration, agriculture, public works and other state agencies.

At the same time, the Ministry of Environment has intensified surveillance, patrols and intelligence work, and issued a temporary ban on agricultural and waste burns that requires prior authorization from 30 July to 31 August 2026. Officials say more than 90 % of recent forest fires are caused by human actions. Recent fires in Gajo Escondido, Sabana de San Juan, Corocito, Limoncito and El Portillo have been brought under control, and several people have been arrested for alleged violations of environmental legislation. The measures are part of the National Forest Fire Prevention Season that began in February 2026 and are intended to safeguard forests, water sources, biodiversity and the safety of firefighting personnel.

Entities: Compromiso Ambiental 2026 · Dominican Republic · Law 64‑00 · Law 64‑00 on Environmental Crimes · Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (Dominican Republic) · Ministry of Defense (Dominican Republic) · Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Dominican Republic) · Paíno Henríquez · Resolution 0030/2026 · SENPA (National Environmental Protection Service) · Servicio Nacional de Protección Ambiental (SENPA)

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 4 SOURCES] Resolution 0030/2026 prohibits agricultural and waste burns without prior authorization from 30 July to 31 August 2026. (86d7a16f-41aa-4595-a392-8fe1f5bb2099, 6b01e88f-d2c8-4020-a9dd-c833c5e8c957, aea2c2fd-41f6-4cfd-a1bf-f006493f5ed7)
[● 2 SOURCES] The ministry urged producers and the public to comply with the burn authorization requirement and to report any smoke immediately. (Ministry of Environment)
[● 3 SOURCES] More than 90 % of forest fires attended by the ministry are caused by human actions. (86d7a16f-41aa-4595-a392-8fe1f5bb2099, 6b01e88f-d2c8-4020-a9dd-c833c5e8c957, aea2c2fd-41f6-4cfd-a1bf-f006493f5ed7)
[● 2 SOURCES] The ministry reinforced surveillance, increased patrols and intelligence work to prevent forest fires. (Ministry of Environment)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Administrative sanctions under Law 64‑00 will be applied and cases referred to the Specialized Prosecutor for Environmental Crimes. (Minister Paíno Henríquez)
[● 2 SOURCES] Recent forest fires in Gajo Escondido, Sabana de San Juan, Corocito, Limoncito and El Portillo have been brought under control. (86d7a16f-41aa-4595-a392-8fe1f5bb2099)
[● 2 SOURCES] The ministry's actions are part of the National Forest Fire Prevention Season that began in February 2026. (99f25c42-3508-4123-b510-98773f4545f6)
[● 3 SOURCES] Two coordination meetings were held with defence, armed forces, migration, agriculture, public works and private forest sector representatives to strengthen joint response and preventive patrols. (99f25c42-3508-4123-b510-98773f4545f6)
[● 4 SOURCES] The Dominican Republic launched the “Compromiso Ambiental 2026” operation across six national parks. (12c8454c-7567-4e53-8cf3-47c1cfe20314, b46bdbb4-6002-46c6-ad23-7e6dcbac4b21, b5bae81e-d0a2-4f6a-9cee-1bdb2223543b, 26845d)
[● 2 SOURCES] Several people were arrested for alleged violations of environmental legislation during the operation. (26845db7-bde3-442c-bfb9-b9493bd80adc, 99f25c42-3508-4123-b510-98773f4545f6)