Serious allegations over potential elimination of the gorgeous forestry outside the National Botanical Garden land have been making headlines in the press and social media.
The Environmental Commission of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD) has made a grave allegation concerning the possible encroachment and fragmentation of protected lands belonging to the Dr. Rafael L. Moscoso National Botanical Garden.
The complaint, backed by prominent environmentalist and political leader Domingo Contreras, along with Nelson Bautista, director of the Green Action Foundation (Fundación Acción Verde), raises alarms over reported topographic surveys being conducted by personnel from the Ministry of Public Works.
These activities, allegedly linked to the planned extension of the Jacobo Majluta Avenue, have fueled fears of an imminent threat to one of the capital’s most important ecological reserves.
The Ministry of Environment reportedly has not objected the project on grounds the perimeter of the park is not part of the protected areas and rather falls under the National District government that would have granted the permits. The Carolina Mejia city hall administration is notable for granting widespread authorizations for high rises that have considerably reduced the greenage in the capital city and contributed to center city congestion while favoring real estate developers.
There is speculation the Ministry of Public Works has prepared a proposal that would reduce 11,000 meters from the Botanical Gardens of Santo Domingo. The Botanical Gardens of Santo Domingo are regarded as one of the best in the Americas. The government seeks to use the perimetral grounds to expand the Avenida Colombia and reduce traffic jams.
The Botanical Gardens were built during the Joaquin Balaguer presidencies and are part of the legacy of the Zoological Gardens, the Mirador del Norte and Mirador del Sur and Juan Pablo Duarte parks that are the breathing areas for the capital city.
Read more in Spanish:
CDN
Listin Diario
La Mirada
El Nacional
1 July 2025