Environment Minister Orlando Jorge Mera issued a resolution that reaffirms the ban on farming activities in the Valle Nuevo National Park in La Vega province. While for the most part farming has been eradicated in the north side of the park, it had continued in the south. The new ban seeks to fully rescue the park area.
The Ministry of Environment issued Resolution 0016/2021 that permanently prohibits agricultural and livestock activities that are still being developed in Valle Nuevo National Park. The 910 square kilometers national park is also called “the mother of waters” because many of the country’s most important rivers originate in that mountainous area.
The decision signed by Minister Orlando Jorge Mera modifies Article 3 of Resolution 0014/2016, on the Action Plan for the Rescue of the Park, that had served to initiate the elimination of agricultural activities in that area.
Yet, the resolution did not strictly contemplate the prohibition of new agricultural ventures. There is still evidence of agricultural settlements within the protected area, mainly on the southern slope, where the Ministry of Environment under past minister Angel Estevez did not carry out actions to complete the rescue of Valle Nuevo.
The new resolution gives farmers 100 days to harvest and/or remove crops and dismantle infrastructure and equipment related to agricultural crops and livestock. New planting is prohibited.
After this period, the Ministry will remove any activity that threatens the integrity of this National Park, in compliance with Environmental Law 64-00 and Sectoral Protected Areas Law 202-04.
The resolution establishes that the Ministry of Environment will coordinate with the Ministry of Defense the needed actions to ensure compliance with the ban on farming in the Valle Nuevo National Park.
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Ministry of Environment
16 June 2021