President Luis Abinader met with leading environmentalists for a Ministry of Environment-sponsored workshop on preserving and restoring protected areas.
The two-day workshop sought to strengthen state initiatives. Environmentalists participated as part of the Coalition for the Defense of Protected Areas at the event that took place at the Ministry of Environment meeting facility.
According to the Ministry of Environment, the event sought to develop an action plan for the preservation and restoration of the National System of Protected Areas (SINAP) and other key sites. The event provided the space and time for environmentalists to interact with Ministry of Environment officers and learn about the President’s vision and support for sustainability. The government sought to reach a consensus with the Coalition for the Defense of Protected Areas to effectively develop the National Plan for Reforestation and Restoration of Ecosystems.
Officials, academics and environmentalists all agreed on the need to prioritize watersheds to preserve and guarantee the water demanded by present and future generations of Dominicans.
The Ministry of the Environment presented for the knowledge and analysis of the participants in the event a National Plan for Reforestation-Restoration of Ecosystems and Landscapes with an initial stage of two years.
The project includes the zoning of the territory for conservation, forest protection and production with determination of use conflicts, priority areas in priority basins, the National System of Protected Areas, coastal and marine ecosystems. All these axes contemplate the transversality for adaptation and resilience of the country in the face of climate change.
The Coalition for the Defense of Protected Areas presented a request to include the evaluation of indicators based on a matrix that includes threats, causes, activities, indicators/current situation, intermediate results and goals for the appropriate management of protected areas.
Also discussed was protected area management, control and surveillance, logistical capacities, infrastructure, human capital, SINAP integrity, institutional situation, investment plans, social involvement (co-manejos) and areas to be prioritized for possible interventions.
Other key officials attending the workshop were: Deputy Ministers of Forestry Resources, José Elías González; of Climate Change and Sustainability, Milagros De Camps; of Protected Areas and Biodiversity, Federico Franco; of Marine Coasts, José Ramón Reyes; and of Soils and Waters, René Mateo.
The meeting was attended by Liliana Betancourt, from the Whale Sanctuary; Francisco Núñez and Carlos García Cartagena, representing The Nature Conservancy; Milton Martínez from the Academy of Sciences; Yvonne Arias and Yolanda De León from Grupo Jaragua.
In addition, Andrés Ferrer, from the Moscoso Puello Foundation, Nelson Bautista, Andrea Thomen, Mirta Cabral, Luis Carvajal, Eladia Gesto, Nelson Pimentel, Michela Izzo and Marvin Del Cid in his capacity as representative of the Green Action Foundation.
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Presidency
15 May 2023