The conference was the first of its kind to integrate hard science with policy making considerations and the first such event to be hosted at the Punta Cana Beach Resort, a tourist destination that deftly combines sound business principles with a genuine care for the environment. The event was organized by the New York Botanical Garden, the Punta Cana Ecological Foundation, the Punta Cana Resort and Club, the center for applied biodiversity science of Conservation International, the Cornell Biodiversity Laboratory at Punta Cana and the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Environment. It was an animated debate that brought together representatives from research organizations, environmental agencies and learning institutions from the Greater Antilles -- Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic -- and the US, among others. The sense of urgency was understandable given the fact that hundreds of endemic plants and animals of the Caribbean are under threat of extinction.

As the conference progressed, however, it became clear that bridging the gap between science and policy making is not the only obstacle in the search for effective conservation strategies. The chasm between the amount of scientific knowledge that exists among US scientists compared to the research capabilities of their colleagues in the Caribbean is just as big of an impediment.

It is a predicament that exists since Christopher Columbus first set foot on this island over 500 years ago. Conquistadors and colonial powers alike were eager to discover and explore the flora and fauna of the Caribbean in search of financial gain and scientific advancement. Following the colonial pattern of unilateral exploitation scientists and explorers would come in, collect specimens and take them back to their research centers in Europe and the US. As a result, the knowledge that originated in the islands ended far away from it.

"During the first 400 years after the discovery of area all of the knowledge and the wisdom on Caribbean biodiversity was going back to Europe for the benefit of the old world only," says Michael Smith, a Caribbean biodiversity fellow at the Center for Applied Biodiversity Science at Conservation International and one of the conference’s organizers. "After Spain and the other colonial forces left there was a vacuum, and that vacuum was filled by the US."

"Today I have better access to information on the Caribbean at major US museums such as the Smithsonian and the Museum of Natural History in New York than anyone in the Caribbean," he adds. "So when I started working in the Caribbean I thought that it has to be done in a way that restores access to the knowledge to the local population, which is a formidable task."

Indeed, the situation in places like the Dominican Republic is dire. At the University of Santo Domingo, there are no more than half a dozen books on biodiversity in the island. Research facilities are almost non-existent. The very few museums and herbariums are severely under-funded and poorly maintained.

"Being a scientist in the Dominican Republic is extremely frustrating," says Carlos "Cache" Pena, a Dominican biologist who used to teach at the University of Santo Domingo and is now a researcher at the Cornell Biodiversity Laboratory in Punta Cana. "It goes beyond not having the adequate facilities, it is also a question of priorities. We are a poor nation where science is a luxury. Young men here dream of becoming star baseball players in the US. They want to be like Sammy Sosa, they are not interested in biology."

Among the Dominicans who are not interested in major league baseball one thing is clear: if you are serious about science you need to study in the US. That is what Kelvin Guerrero did. This impish young Dominican from the town of La Romana fell in love with the plants and animals of his country as a teenager. After attending college in the capital city of Santo Domingo he was accepted for a masters degree in entomology at Montana State University.

While most Dominicans who are able to study in the US tend to stay there, Guerrero was eager to return. "As soon as I finished my degree I wanted to come back right away and help build scientific institutions in my country," he says. "I can understand why so many of my countrymen prefer to stay in the US, it can be very frustrating to come back full of knowledge and new ideas and find that there are no jobs. On the other hand, I can’t help but feeling they are perpetuating the brain drain that perpetuates our underdevelopement."

Guerrero argues that the infrastructure to support scientific researches in general and biodiversity conservation in particular has greatly improved. "For one thing," he says, "we have a brand new ministry of the environment."

In addition to the year-old ministry there are today miles of red tape regulating research in the Caribbean. Foreign scientists need permits before they venture into the jungle or the coral reefs in search of specimens. They also have to send copies of their research papers and the specimens they collected back to the country of origin.

"It all comes down to the myth of Guacanagarix," says Carlos Pena, referring to the chief of the Taino Indians that lived in what was originally known as the island of Hispaniola.

According to the legend, Guacanagarix gave Columbus a warm welcome when he landed in the island and showered him with gifts and offerings only to be betrayed and massacred. Since then, the fear of being to obsequious to greedy foreigners has been part of the collective psyche of Dominicans.

"We call it the Guacanagarix complex," says Pena, "and it is always in the back of our minds as we see scientists come and go. I think that conferences such as this one, where Caribbean researchers are able to meet their American counterparts in one of the islands are a great way to conquer that mistrust and build a genuine partnership."