Santo Domingo. The Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Armando Paíno Henríquez, stated this Wednesday that the tree felling taking place around the 6 de Noviembre Highway toll booth is part of the expansion works for that road infrastructure, an intervention that seeks to improve traffic flow toward the southern region of the country.
The official explained that the project is being developed jointly between the Ministry of Public Works and Communications and RD Vial, with the goal of increasing the operational capacity of the toll station and reducing the congestion that occurs during peak hours.
As indicated, the initiative takes as a reference the expansion experience applied at the Duarte highway toll, where, he assured, it was possible to streamline vehicular flow and reduce fuel consumption for users.
Paíno Henríquez acknowledged that the execution of the works has required the removal of several trees to prepare the land where the new infrastructure will be built. However, he guaranteed that an environmental compensation program will be implemented, which includes planting ten trees for every one that is cut down.
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Situation at the Baní Dunes
During his statements, the minister also referred to the reports regarding alleged invasions and fires in the Baní Dunes, assuring that no occupations have occurred within the core zone of that protected area located in the Peravia province.
He specified that the only registered case corresponds to an illegal incursion detected months ago, related to clearing work within the park, for which the person responsible was brought to justice.
Likewise, he highlighted that since October 2024, the institution has maintained a surveillance agreement with the Dominican Navy, supported by park rangers, observation towers, and monitoring centers, measures that have strengthened the protection of the area.
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The head of the Environment Ministry added that investigations into fires and illegal occupations are being carried out in coordination with the Attorney General’s Office, as these actions are linked to criminal structures dedicated to land grabbing. However, he clarified that the cases under investigation correspond to areas located outside the boundaries of the protected areas managed by the institution.
