Some powerful economic interests are said to be behind the building of a drainage canal through a protected area of mangroves in Montecristi. The land, part of the protective areas covered under Environment Law 64-00, is located inside the Estero Balsa Bay area of Manzanillo. The land is adjacent to the highway that connects Montecristi and Dajabon at the Copey Curve.
According to reports in the El Caribe newspaper, the project’s objective is to drain the area, kill the mangroves, and then use the land to plant coconut trees.
The area is known as a winter stop for various species of birds that use the area for breeding and as a refuge. Sources said that traps were set and over pink flamingos were caught and sold in Punta Cana.
Local ecologists have issued a call to Environment Minister Orlando Jorge Mera to intervene in this violation of the Environmental Law.
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El Caribe
11 April 2022