The Medina government is considering consulting the United Nations Development Program for an opinion on the proposed exploitation of Loma Miranda.
The Fernandez administration previously called on the UNDP for a consultation on the construction of a cement factory on the edges of the Los Haitises National Park. Then the UNDP experts issued a statement confirming what local environmentalists had already said and recommended against the government authorizing the plant’s construction on that site.
Local environmentalists and specialists have turned down the proposal for the mining exploitation of Loma de Miranda by Xstrata Nickel, which has been responsible for mining in nearby Bonao. The senators for the three provinces in the Loma Miranda area, Monsenor Nouel (Bonao), La Vega and Duarte (San Francisco de Macoris) have also rejected the project on the grounds that it would affect water sources in the region.
Environmental expert Luis Carvajal is opposed to the government appealing to the UNDP for an opinion again. He said that the Ministry of Environment should not relinquish its responsibility in the case. Carvajal called for the government to annul the concession granted during the Fernandez administration, saying that the National Congress should declare Loma Miranda a protected area, and that the Ministry of Environment should release the environmental studies already carried out by its specialists. As reported in El Dia, Carvajal said that the exploitation of Loma de Miranda would be just a first step towards the mining company entering the Central Mountain Range.
http://eldia.com.do/nacionales/2012/10/21/97094/El-Gobierno-busca-asistencia-del-PNUD-sobre-loma-Miranda
www.hoy.com.do/el-pais/2012/10/21/451534/Dejar-Loma-Miranda-a-PNUD-es-irresponsabilidad