Socially-Just Resettlement and Protection of Fragile Ecosystems.

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In Latin America, the importance of protecting natural spaces such as
National Parks and Scientific Reserves is reflected in laws established
to enforce environmental preservation. Historically, environmental
management of protected areas has focused on the scientific aspects of
preservation and bio-diversity. Unfortunately, preservation of protected
areas is often undertaken without considering its effects on the
populations living in the area. These populations are most often
low-income ones that can be negatively affected when nationally
protected areas are expanded. Ironically, they are displaced from their
ancestral lands as societies attempt to preserve their national
patrimony.

## Increasingly aware of this discrepancy, Dominicans agree on the need for sustainable environmental and community development but few are willing to address the challenges of integrating community and environment. The Loma Quita Espuela Foundation (FLQE), however, is making strides as a leader in this arena.  Innovation and Business Investment in Local Development. 

In 1972, Alfonso Moreno Martínez established the most well known ice
cream plant in the Dominican Republic, Helados Bon. Today, it is part of
the Empresas Bon Group, along with two other companies, Distribuidora
Bon and Bon Agroindustrial.

With more than 30 years on the market, Helados Bon has remained the
favorite of Dominicans and gained a significant share of the markets in
Haiti and Jamaica. The company maintains its competitive edge through a
commitment to innovation and environmentally friendly behavior. The goal
of the Empresas Bon Group is to be a world leader in quality food
products and services. Its productive sectors include agro-processing
and food processing and the group generates 1000 jobs which represented
a combined income of US\$33,708,000 in 2001.

In addition to his own personal vision and leadership as a successful
entrepreneur, Alfonso Moreno Martínez felt a sense of corporate
responsibility. Because of this, Empresas Bon Group looks beyond
securing traditional market success. The Group continues to promote its
family's commitment to sustainable social and environmental development
as a means of promoting stable societies. Without a stable society, a
company cannot prosper. This philosophy is further reflected by Jesús
Moreno when he says, "if one does not work with the communities in
earnest and over the long term, there will be social disasters, the
environment will deteriorate, and violence and delinquency will result,
and this will hurt us. Our success has depended on working to educate
and involve the communities in social projects.\"

# Moreno's commitment to the environment is also personal as he was born in an area rich in bio diversity. Accordingly, Moreno established the FLQE to manage a Scientific Reserve of the same name, 15 km from the city of San Francisco de Macorís in the northern part of the Dominican Republic. This Reserve includes the most important rain and cloud forest in the country, and is the source of 60 streams that supply drinking water and water for irrigation to various cities in the region. It possesses great biological diversity to include serving as a refuge for important threatened species. FLQE\'s mission is to ensure balance between conservation and rational use of the Reserve\'s natural resources with the improvement of the quality of life of the communities that have ties to it. Today, the Foundation, like the Empresas Bom Group, is managed by Alfonso's son, Jesús Moreno. 

# FLQE programs focus on preserving, protecting, and managing the natural resources of the Loma Quita Espuela Scientific Reserve. It does so in a unique partnership with the Dominican Department of the Environment and Natural Resources. FLQE programs ensure a better quality of life to local residents by including them in the development planning of the area. Specifically, FLQE implements social projects in the 29 communities on the periphery of the Reserve. Since 1990, the FLQE has three main program areas: environmental protection; ecotourism; and environmental education, cooperation & scientific research.  FLQE projects have received support from various organizations and entities, such as local companies, the German Technical Cooperation Agency (GTZ), UNESCO, HELVETAS, the IDB, the MacArthur Foundation, German Agro-Action, Spanish NGOs, as well as a subsidy from the Dominican central government.

**Vision of Social Responsibility.\
**According to the Moreno family, "one must conduct business to live,
and to live one must support social initiatives that make socioeconomic
development possible. Therefore, our businesses are not restricted to
corporate activity.\"

Based on this vision, the Moreno family and the Empresas Bon Group have
been involved in the "Twenty-first Century Rural Community Project." The
program is designed to ensure that the protection of natural resources
is compatible with the local population\'s subsistence activities as
well as larger productive and commercial activity in the area.

**The Partnership.**

FLQE established a progressive relationship with the Dominican
Government when it was allowed to co-manage the Loma Quita Espuela
Scientific Reserve. This partnership, coupled with good community
relations, positioned FLQE to have a successful tri-sector partnership.
Together the partners decided to address the issue of resettling the
local population living on the Reserve to equal or better conditions.
The challenge was to resettle 25 families (230 inhabitants) from 94
hectares in the Community of Cuca, on the periphery of the Scientific
Reserve. Specifically, the partnership decided to construct 25 homes and
a community center, as well as provide drinking water, electricity, and
assistance in setting up agricultural micro enterprises for these
families. The project was planned over a three-year period.

In 1995, FLQE contacted the Inter-American Foundation (IAF) resulting in
an inter-institutional relationship that would continue to bear fruit
years for years to come. The project needed a new participant with
experience in participatory development. In 1999 the project, was
awarded a grant from the IAF. The total project budget was US\$741,869:
with US\$116,137.00 from FLQE, US\$185,250 from the IAF, US\$28,606 from
the beneficiaries, and more than half of the budget, US\$411,869, from
the local private sector.

##### Fragile Alliance. 

Despite all these inter-institutional alliances and commitments,
something unforeseen happened. The Dominican Agrarian Institute (IAD),
the government entity responsible for agrarian reform and the management
of state-owned land, underwent a personnel change as part of the
transition to a new federal administration. The IAD\'s new management
did not want to continue with the project in accordance with the
commitment made by the previous administration. Unfortunately, the
commitment to provide 94 hectares of land was critical to the
resettlement project. Without that contribution, the resettlement
project would be logistically impossible. As a result, the project had
to be suspended indefinitely.

Despite this setback, FLQE stands firm in its decision to offer equal or
better resettlement conditions to the local population. The private
sector partners: the Empresas Bon Group, Grupo León Jimenes, and the
Banco Popular Dominicano, among others, are also committed to the
original resettlement goals and continue to dialogue with and propose
alternatives among its partners.

###### The Future of the Rural Community.

Again, the idea behind the project is very much alive today. The
partners continue to look for alternatives which, although more limited
in scope, are aimed at achieving the initial objectives of a
sustainable, environmentally friendly community. One of these
alternatives is to introduce agricultural and ecological tourism as an
alternate income opportunity for the community. This option would also
reinforce FLQE's management mandate to maintain the Scientific Reserve
as a protected area. Obviously, this initiative will be more limited in
terms of having a smaller impact on improving the lives of the local
population, but it is seen a viable alternative to all program partners
at this time.

The Empresas Bon Group remains committed to corporate social
responsibility. In keeping with the goals of FLQE, it has established a
rotating fund for activities and crops that diminish the negative impact
on the environment in the Reserve (hog breeding, honey production and
organic production).\
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One crop in particular, organic cacao, is of special interest to both
the local population and the Empresas Bon Group. Not only is it an
environmentally friendly alternative to the community\'s subsistence
farming, it is a product that can be used by Empresas Bon Group for its
ice cream production. The company is currently sourcing organic cacao
from other small farmer groups in the country. The production of organic
crops could be an important innovation for these local producers for
both national and international markets. The Empresas Bon Group is
currently working on a program to transfer technology for the production
of organic cacao to the local producers and on developing a quality
certification system for the crops. The intention is that these higher
margin crops with niche markets will improve the quality of life for
members of the community while at the same time ensuring that the
Helados Bon Group has a supply of quality raw materials.

For the most part, this case demonstrates how a CSR program can be
affected when an institutional or individual commitment is changed. In
particular, it is important to encourage alliances, whether with an
individual or an institution that can survive changes in administration.
It would be equally important to maintain this same type of commitment
in alliances with the multinationals, inasmuch as businesses
historically rotate their management teams, with concomitant changes in
their view of social responsibility.

### Lessons Learned:

-   It is essential to establish institutional and individual
    commitments when setting up a social responsibility program
    involving the three sectors;

-   Project risks, as a result of unforeseen social and/or political
    circumstances, must be considered proactively so changes can be
    anticipated and adjustments can be made. Accordingly,
    diversification of funding can be key in projects with heavy
    infrastructure costs.

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