According to recent estimates, 59 percent of the national territory of the  Dominican Republic  is under some form of protection, making it the fourth most protected country in the world (EOEarth, 2008). According to Global Forest Resources Assessment figures the Dominican Republic had 41 percent forest cover (over almost 2 million hectares of land) with a deforestation rate that has been close to zero percent for a decade (FAO, 2010). However, a recent national study has estimated national forest cover at 32 percent (ONMDL, 2010). The drivers of deforestation in the Dominican Republic can be largely attributed to slash and burn agricultural practices, clearing for cattle-grazing, forest-fires, the expansion of tourism, urban settlements and mining (Brineman, 2002).

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