Ricardo García, former director of the Dr. Rafael Moscoso National Botanical Garden, a professor at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, and a member of the Academy of Sciences, is vehemently opposing government plans to use parts of the Botanical Garden for the expansion of República de Colombia Avenue. He stated that this would cause “irreversible damage” to an environment recognized as one of the top 10 botanical gardens in the world, as reported in El Dia.
“I am radically opposed to the National Botanical Garden being mutilated to use its space for the expansion of República de Colombia Avenue. They intend to take around 11,000 square meters of this area, which contains vital parts of the Garden,” García declared. He lamented that as this “ecological lung” approaches its 50th anniversary on 15 August 2026, its “gift” would be its mutilation.
García detailed the significant losses that would result from this restructuring:
• The Dominican mahogany collection, a crucial germplasm bank.
• A valuable fruit tree collection.
• Part of the Taino educational trail, a significant contribution from the private sector for environmental education and visitor enjoyment.
• The nursery, which is one of the few dedicated to propagating native, endemic, and endangered species. This nursery has been fundamental to programs like the National Quisqueya Verde Plan, for which it produced millions of plants.
• The garden’s parking lot, which is already insufficient for the number of visitors to this important scientific and ecological center.
• Most importantly, the National Herbarium, which houses 140,000 historical samples, representing the scientific plant collection of the Hispaniola Island and many samples from the insular Caribbean. This collection would be severely affected.
García, a biologist who worked at the garden for 37 years, including 12 as its director (2007-2020), emphasized that the Botanical Garden is the legacy of important scientists such as Eugenio de Jesús Marcano, Henri Alain Liogier, and Dr. Thomas A. Zanoni. Dr. Zanoni collaborated with the New York Botanical Garden to build the scientific collection.
For García, who is also a naturalist and founding member of the Mesoamerica and Caribbean Herbarium Network, the Botanical Garden is not merely a recreational space. It serves crucial roles in research, conservation, environmental education, and recreation—the four main pillars of a modern botanical garden.
He stressed that such an action would irreversibly damage the National Botanical Garden, which is why there’s widespread opposition from various sectors, organizations, and individuals who understand the value of scientific green spaces.
Global trends and international impact
García highlighted that the global trend is to increase urban green spaces, not reduce them. He also argued that this plan would not solve the traffic problems on República de Colombia Avenue, let alone in Santo Domingo.
“For that reason, we radically oppose, I repeat, the Botanical Garden being harmed, and that the 50-year gift, on August 15, for the Botanical Garden, be its mutilation,” García deplored. He pointed out that the 2026 Bridges of Botanical Gardens Congress is planned to take place at the garden next year, and its mutilation would have significant implications.
He warned that international collaborators, whose mission aligns with the conservation of botanical gardens, would likely withdraw funding if the garden is damaged. The congress heavily relies on international resources, and it would be severely impacted without this support. Furthermore, he believes that international botanical colleagues, who recognize the garden’s value and history, would be unlikely to visit a “mutilated and damaged” institution.
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El Dia
10 July 2025