The director general of the National Botanical Gardens, Ricardo Garcia, is appealing to the general public to protect the more than 6,000 species of plants, many of which are threatened with extinction as a result of improper conduct by past and present generations.
Garcia reiterated the Botanical Gardens commitment to the preservation and protection of the country’s flora in order to ensure sustainability. Speaking on the occasion of International Earth Day, Wednesday 22 April 2015, Garcia said: “if we protect and take care of our flora, we will ensure that present and future generations of Dominicans will be able living in harmony with the environment without the degradation of our home, planet Earth.”
The Earth Day event was attended by hundreds of students from public and private schools who went on guided walks through the forests of the natural reserve, where they were able to see for themselves the great impact of this large protected space.