Much criticized for being lax in acting, the Ministry of Environment (MMRN) is now reporting on actions to stop the illegal land takeovers in the Las Dunas de Baní, a protected area located in southern Peravia province. The Ministry reports on 10 July 2024 it carried out a comprehensive sweep of the area and notified occupants of properties within its core area of the resolution that orders the halt of all construction, agricultural, felling, or burning of species within the natural monument.
Resolution No. 0005/2024, signed by MMRN head Miguel Ceara Hatton on 21 June 2024, orders “the halt of construction, the eviction and removal of individuals or legal entities that, due to their occupation, carry out activities that seriously affect the integrity of protected areas.” The resolution obliges offenders to respond for the damages caused, as per articles 55 of Law 64-00 and 5.9 of Law 202-04.
The measure is based on the principle of prevention and protection of protected areas enshrined in Sectoral Law on Protected Areas 202-04 and Environment and Natural Resources Law 64-00.
The Special Prosecutors Office for Environmental Defense (SENPA) prosecutors Ruddy Pérez Medrano, José Espinal Beato, and Rigoberto Santana were present for the action. More than 50 military officers accompanied the operation in which the notifications were delivered. The Protected Area Administrator, the MMARN provincial manager, park rangers from the aforementioned area, technicians from the Vice Ministry of Protected Areas and Biodiversity, and the Inspection and Risk Management Department also participated.
“We are notifying the resolution to inform all those present of the actions that the Ministry will take to control and protect the Las Dunas Natural Monument, following the irregularities that have historically occurred in this protected area,” indicated the legal director of the Ministry.
The Ministry is giving those adversely affected by the measure 30 business days to file any appeal for reconsideration before the corresponding jurisdiction.
The resolution explains that technicians from the Vice Ministry of Protected Areas and Biodiversity carried out a survey in the Las Dunas de Las Calderas Natural Monument that verified agricultural activities, felling and burning of trees, construction of houses, and occupation, in flagrant violation of environmental laws.
The Ministry says the illegal occupations seriously threaten the protected area and represent a direct threat to the conservation and preservation of the fragile and sensitive ecosystems in this area.
The Ministry pointed out that the survival of endemic species such as the Ricord’s Iguana (Cyclura ricordi) are threatened by the destruction of their habitat due to urbanization, agriculture, and sand extraction.
Likewise, the Baní lizard (Anolis occultus), migratory birds such as the flamingo (Proenicopterus spp.) and the red knot (Calidris canutus), “whose presence is vital for the biodiversity and ecological balance of the protected area,” are also threatened.
Read more in Spanish:
Ministry of Environment
El Dia
Diario Libre
11 July 2024