Last week the general director of forestry condemned the fact that Central Romana had cleared a large area at the mouth of the R\u00edo Chav\u00f3n, levelling hundreds of mangrove trees. The action is to make room for a new complex for tourists arriving on board their own sailing or powerboats. Colonel Julio Bienvenido Grull\u00f3n, director of Forestry, said an engineer and 11 workers had been detained. The president of the Sociedad Ecologista Oriental, engineer Antonio Ramos, said that several varieties of red and black mangrove that served as habitat for crustaceans, mollusks, and fish were destroyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Coronel Grull\u00f3n said the arrests were made because, while the work was given the green light by the government, it was quite clear that the mangroves were to be left untouched. The authorization also required an environmental impact study to be made before the construction of the project in order to minimize damage to the flora and fauna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
The president of the Sociedad Ecologista Oriental said that the construction of the dock includes the building of an artifical breakwater, and the dredging of the beach which, in his opinion, would destroy the marine species in the area. He said this would also affect beaches to the west of the R\u00edo Chav\u00f3n.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
The R\u00edo Chav\u00f3n area was recently declared a protected zone by Decree 309 of 31 December 1995 made by President Balaguer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Furthermore, the director of the Department of Forestry, Julio Bienvenido Grull\u00f3n, and the president of the Consejo T\u00e9cnico para la Protecci\u00f3n Costero-Marina, Rafael Bienvenido Romero Cintr\u00f3n, told the press that they would take Central Romana to court for having destroyed more than 50 tareas of mangroves. They said that they ordered the halt of the construction work because agreements were being violated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Mr Grull\u00f3n M\u00e9ndez complained that the levelling was carried out at night to avoid supervision by the authorities. He said his department had information that executives from Central Romana had employed more than 80 workers and heavy equipment to get the job completed during the hourd of darkness, and that was why they confiscated the equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
He said that the 19 December authorization approved the dock but also indicated that the paths should be built in areas where there were no mangroves, given the importance of the trees for the conservation of marine species of flora and fauna.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Last week the general director of forestry condemned the fact that Central Romana had cleared a large area at the mouth of the R\u00edo Chav\u00f3n, levelling hundreds of mangrove trees. The action is to make room for a new complex for tourists arriving on board their own sailing or powerboats. Colonel Julio Bienvenido Grull\u00f3n, director … <\/p>\n