In a meeting held at the offices of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for the Defense of the Environment and Natural Resources (Proedemaren), the head of this department of the Public Ministry, Francisco Contreras Núñez, received the investigation report conducted by renowned American geologist and speleologist George Veni on the Natural Monument Anthropological Reserve of Borbón or Pomier Caves, in San Cristobal. The report was carried out to highlight the importance of the caves and the damage that has been done to their ecosystem by aggregate extraction companies, a press release from Proedemaren explains.
As a result of this action against this anthropological reserve, Proedemaren initiated a judicial investigation on 22 January 2025 against the aggressors, who will be held accountable for the damage caused to this heritage of national fauna and flora.
In his report, Veni presented findings on the importance of these caves and the damage and destruction that has been caused to this valuable natural and historical heritage of the Dominican Republic, at the expense of quarry construction in the peripheral and buffer areas, and even within the boundaries as a protected area. The use of dynamite and explosives for the extraction of limestone has impacted nine caves and has already damaged seven other caves.
The report conducted by Veni, who served as executive director of the National Cave and Karst Research Institute (NCKRI) of the USA from 2011 to 2023, supports the investigation of the environmental crime prosecutor’s office on the damage caused to this protected area, which comprises a set of 57 caves and a spring.
In the meeting, Contreras was accompanied by court prosecutors Yissel Acevedo, technical director of Proedemaren; Rudy Pérez, Rigoberto Santana and Celeste Reyes, in addition to Ángel Gomera, director of Prevention, Environmental Policies and Projects of Proedemaren.
In the meeting, in addition to Veni, Nelson Pimentel of Fudder-RD and Fidel Pérez of EgeHID also participated, who supported the results of this study, as well as the full development of the investigation carried out by the Attorney General Office prosecution arm, the Public Ministry.
Contreras, who described it as an honor to receive in his office a world-class specialist like Veni, reiterated the commitment of the Public Ministry, through Proedemaren, to take this and other actions that are detrimental to the environment in the Dominican Republic to the ultimate consequences.
The Anthropological Reserve of Borbón or Pomier Caves are important shelters for endemic bat species of the Antilles, which together represent more than 60% of the native mammal fauna of the region.
In Hispaniola, bats constitute more than 90% of the registered mammals, distributed in 6 families, 17 genera and 20 species. Of the total species registered for the island, at least 16 use the caves as daytime shelters.
In addition, its internal areas contain 57 caves, 30 of which have more than 4,000 pictographs and petroglyphs belonging to at least two indigenous cultures, the Igneri and the Taino. These caves are considered the prehistoric capital of the Dominican Republic.
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Attorney General Office
19 February 2025