Environment Minister Max Puig told El Caribe newspaper that he deeply regrets the Supreme Court of Justice decision that gives a green light to the implementation of Law 202-04 on Sectorial Protected Areas. Puig said that Dominican society should grieve for the validation of a law that affects everyone’s future. He said it creates a bleak landscape because the value of natural resources that face destruction is far greater than the supposed benefits that will be derived from their indiscriminate exploitation. “We believe that the interpretation made by the validation of the law lacks technical basis and is not in accordance with World Conservation Union (IUCN) parameters. He commented that a Pandora’s box has been opened, given the technical errors contained in the law. Puig said that the protected areas are a source of wealth that if properly managed could contribute to the fight against poverty. On the other hand, he concluded, their destruction will only deepen the poverty in which Dominicans live.