Truck loaded with Leucaena leucocephala branches for livestock feed in Barahona, Dominican Republic. Credit: Fundación CI-Atabey.
Dominican Republic, 17 November 2025 – The Jaragua-Bahoruco-Enriquillo Biosphere Reserve is an area of great importance for biodiversity in the Dominican Republic. It encompasses four national parks: Jaragua, Sierra de Bahoruco, Lago Enriquillo and Isla Cabritos national parks. Located in the south-west of the country, the reserve covers an area of 5,770 km² and includes unique landscapes of remarkable beauty and biodiversity across coastal, marine and terrestrial ecosystems, and a high level of regional flora and fauna endemism. It also harbours genetic resources of inestimable value.
However, it faces significant threats from the presence of invasive alien species, such as Leucaena leucocephala (known locally as granolino). This plant, originally introduced in the 1980s for fodder, has since spread rapidly throughout the region, displacing native species and altering local ecosystems. Its ability to form dense colonies and its resistance to adverse conditions makes it a threat to the reserve’s biodiversity. Moreover, International Union for Conservation of Nature lists it among the 100 most harmful invasive organisms in the world.