Cap Cana Foundation
In 2016, Cap Cana, S.A. undertook an environmental sustainability action plan that led to the creation of the Cap Cana Foundation, a non-profit organization whose main objective is the protection and conservation of the various ecosystems and natural resources located within the Cap Cana destination. Archaeological monuments, miles of coastline, and a rich variety of flora and fauna are part of the resources that the Cap Cana Foundation sponsors through its conservation plans.
​Native and Endemic Plants Program
Let the native and endemic flora of our country be part of the design of your garden. Our foundation has a great variety of plants reproduced in our nursery, in order to be used in the design of exteriors and interiors. In addition, this program seeks to safeguard native and endemic species of our country that are in danger of extinction.
Conservation Program
Beehive Rescue Program
The Beehive Rescue Program was created out of the continuing need to protect bees that make their hives in urban areas, where they represented a danger to residents and guests. The program, formally initiated in 2014, consists of "rescuing" hives located in residences, hotels, and common areas, to be taken to an apiary where they are duly transferred to a box that becomes their new home.
Thanks to this initiative, hundreds of hives have been rescued and today live safely in our apiary, where the integrity of the bees is respected, applying various regulations such as the non-use of inorganic fertilizers, chemical pest exterminators, among other products that alter or interrupt the natural development of these species.
Rhinoceros Iguana Conservation Program
At the Cap Cana Foundation we have a special relationship with these species, which were one of the first hosts to welcome us at the beginning of the construction of the Cap Cana project. The geological formations that form part of the Punta Espada Golf Course were home to large communities of Rhinoceros Iguanas (Cyclura cornuta), which today maintain their habitat and constantly accompany golfers on the golf course.
In 2005, a sinkhole (natural geological depression) was formed in one of the project areas and this was designated as an iguana refuge. Today, the communities continue to live in the sinkhole and can be seen in its surroundings.
Partnership with the organization
The Peregrine Fund for the conservation of the Hispaniolan Sparrowhawk, an endemic bird of the island in critical danger of extinction
Co-Management Program for the Central Zone of the Southeast Reef Marine Sanctuary
The Foundation is part of the Co-management Council of the Arrecifes del Sureste Marine Sanctuary, the second largest protected area in the Dominican Republic, with an area of ​​almost eight thousand square kilometers, along approximately 120 km of coastline that goes from the Mona Channel to the south of the Higuamo River.
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Through national and international alliances, we hope to make great progress and practices that continue to promote the preservation of our reefs and their restoration.
Coral Reef Rehabilitation Program
​In December 2019, the Cap Cana Foundation began a coral reef rehabilitation plan in which a pilot project has been developed to reproduce the staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis), a critically endangered species, through the asexual fragmentation method. Another species will soon be included: the elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata), also critically endangered.
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The objective of this program is to carry out indirect and direct interventions in order to positively affect the recovery of coral reefs in the Cap Cana area.
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These interventions include the expansion and maintenance of a coral nursery in Juanillo and the transplantation of coral fragments from the nursery to the reef.
Sustainable Fishing Program
​Although one of the main attractions of the destination is sport fishing, the Cap Cana Marina is part of the “Billfish Foundation”, under which billfish fishing is only “catch and release” and part of the funds from the fishing tournaments are donated to this international foundation that aims to research and conserve this species.
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The Cap Cana Foundation, in cooperation with Codopesca and the Navy, conducts operations at the Cap Cana artisanal fishermen’s exit to enforce the bans on lambí, lobster and crustaceans and the fish size guidelines.
Sea Turtle Nesting Monitoring Program
During the nesting season, a beach walk is conducted at least twice a week at 5:30 a.m. to detect signs of sea turtle nesting. Nests detected are marked for protection. This monitoring allows for a count of the nests each year and the number of hatchlings.
Manatee Monitoring Program
A database is maintained where all sightings of marine mammals reported in Cap Cana are recorded, mostly manatees that frequent the Marina. Note is taken of the date, time, location, number of adult and juvenile individuals and their behavior. This will allow data to be obtained on the populations of mammals that frequent the area over the years.
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Recicla 100+
​Recicla 100+ is a program from the Cervecería Nacional Dominicana that seeks to mitigate the damage caused by single-use plastic to the environment, through a circular economy model. At Cap Cana, we join our cause and collect thousands of pounds a year at our Collection and Compaction Center.
Reproduction of Endangered Native Plant Species
​The Cap Cana Foundation has managed to reproduce more than a thousand specimens of various native and endemic species that are on the Red List of Endangered, Threatened or Protected Species of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. Some of the most relevant species are the Bayahibe Rose (Pereskia quisqueyana), Cotoperí (Melicoccus jimenezii), Rain Palm (Gaussia attenuata), Coastal Guano (Leucothrinax morrisii), Aceituno (Simarouba berteroana), among others.
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These species are reproduced in the Foundation's nursery and transplanted in different common areas of Cap Cana.
Organic Urban Garden
​Part of the Cap Cana Foundation's objectives is to promote sustainable food through the consumption of organic products, thus eliminating long supply chains that end up reducing the value of our food.
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Based on this vision, the Urban Farm & Garden Organic Garden is developed, where fresh products are harvested daily and go directly to the tables of residents, visitors and guests of the Cap Cana Destination City.
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Some of the most common products are: bananas, plantains, vegetables, parsley, tomatoes, papaya, yucca, beets, radishes, among many others.
Botanical Conservation Program
At the Foundation we know that poor pruning practices can affect the integrity of the plant, so we constantly make efforts to educate stakeholders involved in the maintenance of green areas.
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In order to improve the management of natural resources to reduce the amount of waste generated by pruning, guidelines for pruning palm trees were established, which also help prolong the life and health of the palm trees and contribute to the reproduction of birds that nest in them, which are mostly endemic species.
In the case of trees that have taken decades to mature and are located in areas to be cleared for land development, instead of cutting them down, they are transplanted for use as landscaping in other areas of Cap Cana.
Mangrove Rescue
Mangroves are considered one of the most important ecosystems on the planet, due to the amount of organic matter they generate and the immense number of species that take refuge in these ecosystems. However, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the rate of destruction of mangroves is higher than in any other type of forest.
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This is why at the Cap Cana Foundation we preserve these ecosystems, adapting them as part of the developments, without compromising their integrity, either by adapting them as landscapers in hotel developments or as attractive ecological trails.