SANTO DOMINGO.– The Coalition for the Defense of Protected Areas called on the Dominican government and the justice system to put an end to the culture of impunity that persists in the country regarding the fraudulent appropriation of lands protected by the Constitution and the laws.
Their proposals are directed at the demands they have made to stop the tourist complex called Bucanyé, planned to be built within the Cabo Rojo-Pedernales Development Project, for which they request "manage the immediate annulment of this fraudulent scheme and the restitution to the Dominican State of all the titles of this protected area, in compliance with the sentences.".
"Given the exposure of the scandalous scheme that has resulted in the titling of more than 14 million square meters of land in Pedernales and the announcement of a mega-tourism project in the Cabo Rojo Beach Protected Landscape – Pedernales (known as Bucanyé), the Coalition for the Defense of Protected Areas demands that the Dominican government and the justice system put a stop once and for all to the culture of impunity that persists in the fraudulent appropriation of lands protected by the Constitution and the laws," states a press release from the organization.
They argue that it is inconceivable that despite the complaints that have been consistently made for almost a year, the government has given in to the demands of a company with Spanish and Dominican capital and supported them in the process of obtaining titles in Parcel 40 of Enriquillo, based on the same fraudulent scheme that operated to try to alienate Bahía de las Águilas and that has been duly demonstrated in the courts.
"It is simply unheard of to claim that government institutions 'were unaware that it was a protected area', when several of its technicians and officials (including the Minister of the Environment and the Vice Minister of Protected Areas) have been aware of all these processes since June 2022 and many of the titles have been issued on subsequent dates," they argue.
They add that the lack of interest of the competent authorities in defending the general interest over the particular was clearly evidenced when the General Directorate of Public-Private Partnerships (DGAPP) and the ProPedernales Trust tried to include more than 6 million meters of the same protected area and the same plot among the lands of the trust patrimony, although after the public outcry the timely correction of that purpose was made.
“Now we face a second attempt—in just a few months—to seize a portion of the protected area by alleged investors. The Coalition, which represents various environmental groups, has repeatedly stated that until there is a strict system of consequences, until the cases are prosecuted to the fullest extent against all those who, through action or omission, violate the constitution and the laws, including the officials involved in these frauds, the country’s legal security will remain in question and the protected areas system will continue to be vulnerable and under siege,” the environmentalists stated.
The statement concludes by establishing that it is a moral and political duty of the government to manage the immediate annulment of this fraudulent scheme and the restitution to the Dominican State of all titles in this protected area, in accordance with the court rulings.
