The Ministry of Environment announced that the buffer zones of protected areas, now set at 300 meters, may be expanded if studies conclude that larger buffer zones are justified, as reported in Hoy. Previously, Decree 571-09 had limited the buffer zones to 300 meters. The new policy seeks to contribute to the integrity and restoration of natural resources in conservation.
The new buffer zone policy is part of Resolution 10-2018, signed by Minister Francisco Dominguez Brito on 21 March 2018 and establishes that “buffer zones in protected areas serve to protect, prevent, reduce and avoid that human activities negatively impact the integrity of the protected ecosystems protected and the environmental services these provide to society”.
In the Dominican Republic there are 128 protected systems part of the Sistema Nacional de Areas Protegidas (SINAP), for 12,442 square kilometers, or 25.81% of the national territory. The system also includes a marine area of 45,904 square kilometers.
4 April 2018
