The Ministers of Environment and the Armed Forces, Frank Moya Pons and Jose Miguel Soto Jimenez, have joined forces to preserve the ecology. Moya said the military will work to preserve the boundaries of the national parks which are subject to trespassers and squatters. Moya said the defense of the environment and natural resources is a matter of national security. This was announced at a meeting at the National Palace in the presence of President Hipolito Mejia. During the meeting, the Minister of Environment alleged that government officers, governors, mayors, senators and deputies from the incumbent party, (the Partido Revolucionario Dominicano), as well as officers of the army and the police are protecting people who cut down trees in Dominican forests and sell the contraband wood. He accused them of using their influence so that those arrested for illegal trafficking of wood were released. During the meeting, Moya mentioned several cases of violations of the ecology laws by government-related persons. Hoy newspaper quotes him as saying: "In the past 15 days there have been at least five cases of mayors who have demanded the release of party members. This shows that there is no commitment within the part to protect the natural resources. Those resources are the mainstay of the development of the country," said Moya Pons. "We have to see with whom and for whom we are working – are we working so that President Mejia can fulfill his government program or are we working to serve particular interests." Moya announced the integration of mayors into Environmental Management Units to protect the forests. He added that the European Union has made available a special fund of 176 million Euros for sustainable forest development.
