Cardumen de loros

The province of Montecristi is located at the northeast of the Dominican Republic, right on the border with Haiti. It is a unique natural enclave with the largest extension wetland ecosystem in the country.

Right next to the Atlantic Ocean, and the Masacre river, at the end of the province, we find Pepillo Salcedo. It is a very small community, whose biodiversity richness makes fishing the main economy in the town.
And it is precisely there, at the border of the mangrove, the spot called Estero Balsa, in a really precarious area. That’s the small local pier, where all the old boats are anchored, waiting for the fishermen to go out and fish during the night.

The project has a double objective:
On the one hand, to improve the conditions of the precarious boats through a collaborative process that incorporates the fishermen themselves in their restoration.

On the other, to generate a new identity linked to raising awareness with respect to marine biodiversity, which is so badly hit in this area and on whose balance the region's economy depends. Focusing especially on the Parrotfish as a fundamental element in the Caribbean ecosystem.

We had the support from different associations for this project. Most precisely both fishermen association and mothers association, that were involved during the whole process and felt the project as their own.   We began our process by sharing with them the background and objectives of the project. We also discussed the schedule and made a calling for volunteers that might be interested in painting with us. As far as fishermen are concerned, we could also create the first attempt of the census of boats to be painted. The welcoming in both meetings was extraordinary.