DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

In a significant legal blow to corporate environmental negligence, a Dominican court has sentenced an agroforestry company to pay substantial damages for the ecological devastation caused by its avocado production operations.

The case has drawn national attention in the Dominican Republic as a landmark victory for Environmental Law (Law 64-00). While the avocado industry is a major economic driver for the country, environmental groups and the Academy of Sciences of the Dominican Republic have long warned that expanding plantations into high-altitude forests and protected watersheds compromises the nation’s water security.

This sentence serves as a stern warning to large-scale agricultural producers that economic profit does not grant immunity from environmental regulations.

The ruling, issued by the Criminal Chamber of the Court of First Instance of San José de Ocoa...