Elena Brineman, the director of USAID in the Dominican Republic, says that the organization would reconsider its assistance to Dominican environmental projects if Congress ratifies the changes to the environmental rulings that have already approved by the Senate. These changes would remove large extensions of lands from the National Parks protected status that they could be developed touristically or for mining purposes. The changes to the laws would furthermore divest the Environment Ministry from its responsibilities in approving projects that could affect the natural environment in the DR. ?It is a decision of the country and still has not been passed, but with this kind of proposals that are so drastic, that affect so much, one has to question whether it is worth it to continue to invest in the national system of parks,? said Brineman. She also said that USAID is very concerned that this project should be considered while the free trade agreement with the US is being debated in the US Congress. Brineman felt that the FTA assigns great importance to the protection of the environment. For the past 10 years USAID has been backing the national parks system through its assistance to The Nature Conservancy organization. Recent contributions accounted for US$4.6 million to the national parks and US$9 million for the environment. USAID also supports the Environment Ministry with programs for training and technical assistance for the conservation of protected areas and to develop units of municipal environmental management.
As reported in El Caribe last Tuesday, Yvonne Arias, the president of Grupo Jaragua, a leading environmental organization, said that the proposal by the Senate would break international commitments in environmental matters, such as that assumed with UNESCO to maintain the Parque Jaragua as a biospheric reserve.
Environmental and leading tourism organizations reject the proposal to mutilate the parks system as approved by the Senate with the backing of President Hipolito Mejia, who has issued decrees authorizing commercial development within park areas that violated Environmental Law 64-00, which was ratified during his own administration.