Diario Libre is following up on the elimination of a large area of mangrove in Samana with the suspected use of glyphosate to prepare the area for real estate development. Marvin del Cid, environmental reporter for the newspaper, explained the authorities suspect a strong herbicide was used, such as glyphosate.
Likewise, in an editorial on 13 August, De Buena Tinta, Diario Libre highlights the damages to the formerly pristine El Astillero area where Halassia testudinum and Syringodium filiforme prevailed in what had been a refuge for manatees, sting rays and turtles.
In December 2023, Diario Libre had reported that there were more than 300,000 square meters of mangrove in a privately-owned property between El Astillero and El Limon on the north side of the peninsula. These were decimated in less than two weeks.
As reported in Diario Libre, the Foro Ambiental de Samaná concluded after an inspection that the destruction of the red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) was not due to natural causes, but rather due to the use of a powerful herbicide, such as glyphosate. The speed, precision and magnitude of the damage reinforced the hypothesis of deliberate poisoning.
Diario Libre explains that during the 2022-2023 National Manatee Census, conducted by the Dominican Foundation for Marine Studies (Fundemar), a significant number of manatees had been found thriving in a rich, peaceful, and healthy ecosystem.
However, a starkly different scene was uncovered on 6 August 2025 during a monitoring trip with Fundemar technicians. The once-vibrant ecosystem, known as El Astillero, now shows clear signs of degradation. Much of the seagrass bed, particularly near the channel that connects to a mangrove area that has been dead since 2023, is suffering from a loss of vegetation. Exposed areas and loose sediment now cloud the water with every passing wave, painting a grim picture far from the beautiful underwater life previously documented.
Read more in Spanish:
Diario Libre
Diario Libre
14 August 2025