Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic comprises the largest portion of the island of Hispaniola. Centrally located within the Caribbean, and representing the second largest area of the islands in the Greater Antilles, the island of Hispaniola is characterized by a rich diversity of plants, animals and other organisms. This rich biodiversity is primarily related to the extensive influx of species from South, Central and North America, as well as oceanic streams of the Atlantic Ocean, and to the equally diverse range of habitats, including both the highest and lowest elevations in the Caribbean.

The rich flora of Hispaniola includes about 5,000 species of seed plants, and 600 species of ferns, identified so far. Seed plants include about 3,900 dicotyledonous species (representing 147 different families), and 1,100 monocotyledonous species (comprised predominately of grasses and sedges, along with a high diversity of orchids), as well as 7 species of gymnosperms. In addition to this considerable diversity, Hispaniola is also characterized by an equally, if not more remarkably, high rate of endemism. Long-terms studies show the rate of endemism to be approximately 36% for the island, the second highest in the Caribbean, and the highest when considering relative area.