Environmental crimes and enforcement in the Dominican RepublicCEFR B2
17 Nov 2025
Adapted from Carolina Pichardo, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Aldward Castillo, Unsplash
By September 2025 a total of 118 cases had been brought to justice for breaches of Law 64-00 in the Dominican Republic, and reports of environmental crimes rose as public awareness increased. The Judicial Branch now works with the Ministry of the Environment, SENPA (the National Environmental Protection Service) and the Specialised Prosecutor’s Office to investigate and prosecute offences defined in Article 175.
SENPA data for 2020 to mid-2025 highlight the scale of violations: 9,350 crimes for tree felling and 2,620 for makeshift dumps and water pollution. Between 2023 and mid-2025 authorities seized 63,613 unidentified units of sand, 16,449 sacks of coal and 416,087 pieces of wood. SENPA led at least 165,514 environmental operations in that period, with 2024 accounting for 22 percent of the total. In the first quarter of 2025 officials seized 647 pounds of parrotfish and 40 pounds of other fish.
Enforcement in the first half of 2025 included roughly 10,940 security and control patrols and the seizure of 1,161 vehicles. Materials were documented and handed to authorities for evaluation, legal disposal or reuse in institutional programmes. Citizens report offences through Green Line (app, phone, WhatsApp or in person); complaints normally get an initial site visit within 10–15 business days, reporters may remain anonymous and can track status with a unique code. Confirmed violations are sent to the Directorate of Inspection as complex cases and sanctions are applied; in some instances a period for readjustment is allowed before reinspection.
Common offences reported include:
- indiscriminate logging and illegal extraction of sand and aggregates
- noise and air pollution, including emissions from workshops and power plants
- hunting, fishing and trafficking of protected species
- burning of protected areas, manufacture of charcoal, and illegal construction
Recent interventions show concrete consequences: on July 7, 2025 community groups denounced alleged destruction of sea turtle nests linked to Hotel Sirenis and the Matute Hotel Group, and authorities recommended administrative sanctions, stoppage of activities until a coastal remediation plan was presented, and referral to specialised agencies. On September 3 a restaurant, Pescadería L&R, was inspected and 28 pounds of parrotfish and 15 pounds of conch were seized; activities were halted and the case was referred for judicial processing. In February 2025 an inspection of Río Verde confirmed contaminated discharge from a pig farm, poor hygiene and an apparently inoperable biodigester, creating unsanitary conditions and pollution in violation of Article 82 of the Environmental Law.
Difficult words
- prosecute — take legal action against someone in court
- seize — take possession by legal authorityseized
- sanction — official penalty for breaking a lawsanctions
- remediation — actions to repair environmental damage
- biodigester — machine that turns organic waste into gas
- indiscriminate — done without careful selection or control
- aggregate — small stones or sand used in constructionaggregates
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Do you think the number of patrols and seizures described in the article show effective enforcement? Why or why not?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of allowing anonymous reports via the Green Line system? Give reasons from the article or examples from real life.
- What short-term and long-term actions would you suggest to prevent contaminated discharges like the one at Río Verde?
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