The Ministry of Environment together with several other government entities, civil society and academics have drafted the guidelines for the co-management of the Sierra de Bahoruco National Park. All this is part of a strategic plan to rescue the southwestern mountain area located on the border with Haiti. It is expected that in August 2017 the necessary agreements will be signed.
The Sierra de Bahoruco National Park contains the largest biodiversity in all of the nation’s system of protected areas, but is under serious threat.
Minister of Environment Francisco Dominguez Brito chaired the meeting, and listened as Deputy Minister of Protected Areas Danneris Santana explained that the co-management system is covered by Environment Law 64-00.
Among the principal threats to the mountainous area is deforestation due to the production of charcoal (that is totally illegal), slash and burn agriculture, and avocado farms together with forest fires, the destruction of nesting areas for the native parrot, the extraction of “guaconejo” wood for perfume-making, among other environmental degradation pressures. Civilian groups such as Grupo Jaragua will take part in the new management plan and will chair the new council.
13 July 2017
