An editorial in Diario Libre today focuses on the announcement during the Madrid FITUR Tourism Fair on the start of the development of an “ecologic” resort inside the Cotubanamá National Park (National Park of the East) by the Spanish firm Globalia. Diario Libre points out the irony of the description when environmentalists denounce the Ministry of Environment illegally issued the permit for the construction of the hotel within the protected area. Environmentalists say that the requirement for public hearings was skipped by the Ministry. Diario Libre reports the construction has begun with heavy machinery and workers clearing of a dry forest in the park.
The Coalition for the Defense of Protected Areas announced on Wednesday, 22 January 2020 that it will take actions to prevent the construction of the resort in the Guaragua-Punta Catuano protected area in the Cotubanamá National Park.
Kelvin Antonio Guerrero, a member of Ecoparque, speaking on behalf of the environmentalist movements, said: “Cotubanama National Park, the only protected area in the entire East, is a climate regulator. Building in the area would have very negative consequences that we could later regret. Look at all the forest fires that are occurring in other countries, it’s due to bad decisions,” he argued.
A press conference is called for Thursday, 23 January at the Academy of Sciences to present the coalition’s positions and reasons to combat the construction of the hotel in the protected area. Among the groups that are part of the Environmental Coalition are Ecoparte, Ozama Verde, SOS Ambiente RD, Grupo Jaragua, Campamento Loma Miranda, Maela, Macoris Verde Ecological Project and the Academy of Science.
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Diario Libre
Diario Libre
23 January 2020