The Dominican Republic is on a mission to save the manatees

Making up the lion’s share of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, the Dominican Republic is home to a stunning array of biodiversity despite its relatively small size. Indeed, it serves as the habitat to around 13,000 species of plants and animals, thousands of which can only be found there. For every 2,000 square kilometers in the country, the Dominican Republic has an average of five endemic species.

But the nation is also fighting a tough battle against climate change and extractivism, which is jeopardizing the local ecosystem. Official data from the Dominican Environment Ministry says 770 of the country’s plant and animal species face some risk of extinction, of which 61 percent are endemic. 

None are more emblematic than the Trichechus manatus manatus, or Antillean manatee. Measuring meters long and typically weighing between 400 and 500 kilograms, it is the only marine mammal officially declared “critically endangered” in the Dominican Republic, which has been putting experts and...