DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

Protests are picking up, with many who love the Botanical Gardens telling the government a big “no” to reducing its size or the areas directly outside the city park’s fence.

In recent weeks and days, the issue has been whether the expansion of the Colombia Avenue would affect the grounds of the National Botanical Gardens.

A lot of the arguments surround the idea that getting traffic to move faster is more important than keeping a corner of the city park.

A technician at the Botanical Gardens told Hoy newspaper that the environmental service of the city park is at about 9,000 tons of carbon dioxide reduction. The park is also a shield against pollution by exhaust gases from cars and trucks. He said that “it is a filter for the air of Santo Domingo.”

In addition, the park preserves most of the native flora, and the area is obviously a wonderful...