The initiative seeks to regulate coastal development, preserve marine ecosystems, and establish criteria for the use of natural resources, with potential repercussions for tourism, real estate, and construction investments
SANTO DOMINGO. – The Senate's Committee on Natural Resources and Environment has made progress in studying legislative proposals aimed at establishing a regulatory framework for the Dominican Republic's coastal maritime zone, with the goal of reconciling economic development with ecosystem conservation and the responsible use of natural resources.
Among the initiatives examined is the draft law on the Coastal Marine Zone and its Resources, presented by Senator Antonio Marte, representative of Santiago Rodríguez. The proposal seeks to establish mechanisms to regulate activities carried out along the coast and ensure that their development adheres to sustainability criteria.
In this regard, it includes measures to conserve, restore, and manage coastal and marine ecosystems, as well as regulate the use of the goods and services they provide. It also aims to prevent pollution, the destruction of natural areas, inappropriate interventions, and the overexploitation of resources, in addition to safeguarding environmental and cultural heritage.
Similarly, during the session, an initiative from Senator Félix Bautista was presented, aimed at establishing instruments for the administration, conservation and sustainable use of public maritime-terrestrial domain assets and the natural resources associated with these territories.
This second proposal covers the protection of ecosystems, landscapes, species, genetic resources and other biological and abiotic components that make up coastal areas and waters near the coast.
The committee was chaired by Senator Manuel Rodríguez, because Antonio Marte, head of that legislative body, is the author of one of the pieces submitted for consideration.
Senators Moisés Ayala, representing Barahona; Antonio Marte, representing Santiago Rodríguez; and Santiago José Zorrilla, representing El Seibo, also participated in the meeting.
What implications would legislation of this nature have?
Beyond its environmental component, regulating coastal zones would have repercussions on how economic activities are planned and developed in coastal areas. This is because the Dominican coastline is home to important ecosystems, such as beaches, mangroves, coral reefs, and wetlands, which, in addition to their ecological value, are fundamental to tourism, fishing, and real estate investment.
If approved, legislation of this scope would allow for more specific provisions regarding the use, occupation, and intervention in these spaces. Its potential effects include:
- Regulation of constructions: establishing criteria to regulate hotel, tourist and residential developments near the coast, taking into account environmental and territorial conditions.
- Ecosystem conservation: strengthening the protection of mangroves, reefs, wetlands and other natural environments essential for biodiversity and the protection of coasts against climatic phenomena.
- Protection of the public maritime-terrestrial domain: strengthening mechanisms to preserve coastal spaces of a public nature and prevent occupations or uses contrary to legal provisions.
- Responsible use of resources: establishing parameters so that activities such as tourism and fishing can be developed without compromising the integrity of ecosystems.
- Territorial planning: promoting a more organized management of the coastline, seeking to harmonize private investments, the needs of the communities and the protection of the environment.
For the construction and real estate development industries, the scope of these proposals is of particular interest, since more defined regulations could affect the planning of new projects, the conditions for developing land near the sea, and the environmental requirements that must be observed.
The challenge will be to find a balance between protecting natural resources and fostering the dynamism of investments that drive the growth of the country's tourist destinations. In an economy where much of the real estate and hotel activity is concentrated in coastal areas, clear regulations will be crucial to providing legal certainty for investors, reducing land-use conflicts, and preventing development expansion from jeopardizing the environmental heritage upon which its very sustainability depends.
For now, both initiatives remain under legislative review, so their final provisions and the scope of any eventual regulations will depend on the course they take in the National Congress.
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