Tourism and environmental conservation groups are raising red flags as to what they are calling unscrupulous sectors in government that seek to allocate a section of the Parque Nacional del Este for the construction of a resort in the south-eastern part of the DR. The groups warn that if this is allowed, the precedent will have been set for the demise of the natural legacy of the nation. Among the more than 30 organizations seeking to put a stop to the plan are the National Hotel & Restaurant Association, several leading tour operators and the Consorcio Ambiental Dominicano, which assembles leading environmental protection groups in the country. “The present national system of protected areas of the Dominican Republic represents irreplaceable national heritage that needs to be protected at all costs from individual interests that seek to monopolize them for private business purposes,” state the organizations in a paid advertisement in the press today. The groups mention that the national parks represent the vast biologic and cultural heritage that is a most important gift to future generations. The statement highlights the importance of the national parks as part of the region’s ecosystems and their stature as one of the biggest assets for the tourism industry, which at present is the main generator of hard currency for the country. To close the declaration, the tourism and environmental groups alert: “The conservation, study, and promotion of protected areas of the Dominican Republic is a responsibility of all Dominicans and the maintenance of the present limits on national parks as important as the National Park of the East, the Jaragua National Park or the Costa Azul Panoramic Highway are priority matters for the sustenance of a general policy on conservation of natural and cultural resources of our nation.”
The Mejia government has already sectioned off a part of the Mirador del Sur Park to be used by an affiliate of the Occidental Hotel group, a move that spawned the protest of neighbors, environmental organizations and community groups.
Organizations in the Dominican Republic or abroad that support this effort, should write to
defensa@parquenacionaldeleste.com or to Mu-Yien Sang de Suarez at
susancon@codetel.net.do, Tel. 809 482-4255 or fax 809 482-4325 or visit
http://www.parquenacionaldeleste.com.