The government has announced the construction of the Jardín Botánico “Profesor Eugenio de Jesús Marcano” and the Central Park to provide Santiago with over a million square meters of green public space. The recreational and educational areas have already been planted with thousands of trees of native species, including guayacán, caracolí, roble, campeche, candelón, arraiján, palms, cigua, almácigo, mara, guázara, olive, cabirma and others under threat of extinction.
The Central Park is going up on the old grounds of the Cibao Airport. There will be areas for children’s games, picnics, conference rooms, sports fields and bike paths.
The Botanical Gardens is being built in the north part of the city and will have three paths, riverside areas, a museum, bike paths, open spaces for families, plant collections and thematic gardens. Nelson Bautista said that the Botanical Gardens is 80% complete, and should be ready for a formal opening in early 2018. He said already the reserve receives hundreds of visitors every day. He said every week thousands of volunteers come to plant trees and work is ongoing on the roads leading to the Santiago Botanical Gardens.
Luis Polanco, executive director of the Cibao Ecological Society (SOECI), said that the two parks are the most important projects for the north region. He said the green spaces are essential for environmental sustainability of Santiago. The largest green space we have right now is no more than 5,000 square meters, he highlighted.
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Diario Libre
26 October 2017
