Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are particularly at risk from climate change impacts and are therefore important to consider for CDR efforts, both in terms of CDR potential and risks.. This position paper, a collaboration between Vesta and researchers located in the Dominican Republic and the United Kingdom, presents a simple model for integrating local ownership, inclusion, and participatory governance of CDR through a case study of the establishment of a coastal enhanced weathering project in the Dominican Republic. This paper argues that the inclusion of actors from the Global South into CDR innovation will strengthen both ethical and governance considerations. Critical discourse around whether researching CDR in a SIDS context raises novel, locally embedded, and pertinent questions about the relationship between CDR and climate change adaptation. Participatory, deliberative, and localised governance approaches may influence public perception in communities subject to climate change vulnerability, and evidence of its implementation would help to inform strategies to develop more ethical CDR solutions aligned with climate justice principles.