Fuerza del Pueblo alerts on threats to biodiversity due to weakness in environmental management

Santo Domingo. – The political party Fuerza del Pueblo warned this Thursday that Dominican biodiversity continues to be under threat due to weaknesses in environmental management, the limited application of laws, and the lack of effective preventive policies to protect the country's natural resources. The position was expressed by the secretary of Environment and Natural Resources of the organization, Paino Abreu, through a statement issued on the occasion of the International Day for Biological Diversity, celebrated this year under the theme “Local action for a global impact”. In the document, the organization maintained that the protection of biodiversity should become a strategic priority for the Dominican State, considering that it is directly linked to water security, public health, climate stability, and the quality of life of the population.

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La Fuerza del Pueblo pointed out that, although the country has a broad environmental legal framework, significant weaknesses persist in the application of regulations in the face of economic interests, disorderly urban expansion, and pressure on vulnerable ecosystems. Among the main challenges cited is the situation of the National System of Protected Areas (SINAP). According to Abreu, although there are more than 132 conservation units and a significant part of the national territory is protected, this does not guarantee an effective preservation of the ecosystems.

He indicated that the lack of resources, surveillance, park rangers, and updated management plans limits the State's capacity to protect strategic areas and vulnerable species. Likewise, the organization expressed concern about threats such as deforestation, forest fires, pollution, the extraction of materials in rivers, mining pressure, and tourism and urban growth without sufficient environmental planning.

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The political leader also warned about the ecological fragmentation of protected areas, pointing out that many continue to function in isolation, without biological corridors or effective territorial planning mechanisms. Faced with this situation, the Fuerza del Pueblo demanded from the Government an environmental management that is "more verifiable", based on budget, transparency, and effective sanctions against environmental violations. Among the proposals put forward are increasing investment in protected areas, strengthening the park ranger corps, updating management plans, and guaranteeing environmental impact assessments with technical independence and scientific rigor, especially in tourism, mining, and infrastructure projects. The organization concluded by calling on the Government, private sector, academies, and citizens to assume greater responsibility for the protection of natural heritage and the development of sustainable environmental policies to address current challenges.