The presentations made by 10 environmental NGOs on their work in the Dominican Republic generated the following conclusions, which will be taken into account by the Podion Corporation and Agiamondo Cooperation:

 

• The vast majority of the institutions present expressed fruitful cooperation with the Ministry of Environment. This is a rather rare feature in other countries where access to and relations with public bodies are difficult and often confrontational.
• There is a strong focus on the sustainability of processes, including marketing to make projects environmentally sustainable.
• The use of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in favour of the environment is also a constant. This can be a strong point for raising resources, but can also become nothing more than green washing organisations that in practice carry out negative activities against the environment and communities.
• Elaborating proposals to attract resources for CSR, connecting with “their interests”, can be a way of opting for companies rather than for the care of the environment and the processes of environmental social organisations.
• Experience in beach restoration using simple and efficient techniques is relevant. It is also important to get municipal administrations to commit to and support the creation of municipal marine parks.
• The interaction between research, education and conservation is a virtuous circle. Building on the experience of each of the participants in training activities, in a bottom-up process, is a strategy that leads to greater achievements.
• NGOs need to be clear that, although they are non-profit, they need to work on a non-loss basis in order to survive. One participant even pointed out that they should be run like a business enterprise.
• International cooperation is important and should be as mixed as possible so as not to depend on only a few sources.
• The NGOs present stated that they had a higher proportion of financial support from US NGOs.
• The GIZ has been an important source of resources and interest in the environment.
• Networking and networks are fundamental in work for the environment.
• Unfortunately, there was not enough time to delve into the socio-environmental issues involved in mining and extractive resource exploitation.
• One strength lies in the support from foreign volunteers.
• South-South cooperation is regarded as feasible in the short-term, while South-North cooperation is seen as an interesting avenue that could become relevant in the medium term.