President Hipolito Mejia went west to the province of Pedernales to see for himself the new visitors center built over the Hoyo de Pelempito, overlooking the Bahoruco mountain range. The parador was built at a height of 1,165 meters and features an observatory, rest stop with bathrooms, parking area for 20 vehicles and several mountain trails.
The Hoyo de Pelempito is a natural marvel that the Environment Ministry expects UNESCO to declare a Biosphere Reserve. The natural depression drops 700 meters and temperatures range from zero in the morning to 25 degrees Celsius at noontime.
It has a triangular form of 2.5 kilometers wide by seven kilometres long. The depression is bordered by mountains up to 1,800 meters high. The bottom of the hole has a surface of 10.28 square kilometres.
The parador and its trails are part of the first phase of work the Ministry is carrying out in the province. The Ministry of Environment says 1,434 species of plants have been identified in the mountain range known as Parque Nacional Sierra de Bahoruco. Of these, 439 are endemic to the island of Hispaniola.
On exhibit in the parador is a satellite photograph taken in 1997 that shows the importance of preserving the forests. The photograph shows how deforestation in Haiti is spreading to the Dominican Republic. News reports say that the dramatic photograph moved President Mejia to strengthen his commitment to avoid deforestation in the area.
The President announced that the Plan de Ordenamiento Territorial de la Bahia de las Aguilas will be implemented no later than January 2002. The Plan seeks to determine where hotels can be built in order to preserve the ecologically important zones. (30 August 2001)
