President Leonel Fernández created the Instituto Nacional de Proteccion Ambiental (INPRA) that will oversee the policies and government environmental efforts. The new environmental protection department was created by Decree 216-98. Members of the organization are the government’s environmental organizations, and representatives of the ministries of public works, tourism, industry and commerce and agriculture. Also, representatives of the Navy, the Central Bank, the National Planning Office, among others. Dr. Jose Alberto Ottenwalder, national coordinator of the coastal-marine bio-diversity project of the United Nations said that the UN and the World Bank, together with several government institutions, are preparing a bill that would modify the present legislation on environmental protection.
