NewsWhore
08-17-2009, 04:40 PM
The United Nations has named the international consulting team that will study the process whereby the Ministry of Environment issued a permit for installation and operation of a cement plant in the buffer zone of Los Haitises National Park. The cement plant has been the most controversial industry of recent months, receiving a 85% rejection of those surveyed in a recent Gallup poll.
The cement plant would go up in the The karst zone is a unique limestone area with caverns and underground river systems, regarded as a major reservoir for potable water. A judge ordered construction to stop until the case of its impact on the zone could be heard in court.
Environment Minister Jaime David Fernandez has said the permission was granted at a special request of President Leonel Fernandez. Originally, a team of experts of the Ministry of Environment had rejected the project at that site.
The United Nations team will begin its work in the DR next week, said Valerie Julliand, coordinator for the United Nations in the DR.
She explained the specialists were chosen "following criteria of academic ecellence, widespread knowledge of international conventions, work experience with the United Nations, integrity and transparency, among other aspects."
The team members and their background:
Juan Mayr Maldonado, team coordinator, Colombian, former minister of environment in Colombia, former president of the United Nations Commission for Sustainable Development.
Leslie F. Molerio, Cuban, geologist with a masters in isotope hydrology, a field that uses tecniques to study the origins and movement of water. Specialist on karst formations. Member of the UNESCO International World Natural Heritage Review Committee and member of the Speleological Federation of Latin America and the Caribbean (FEALC).
Luis A. Bojorquez, Mexican, biologist with a doctorate in the sustainable management of river basins from the University of Arizona and researcher at the Computational Earth Systems Sciencie de California, and Institute of Ecology at the state university in Mexico (UNAM). Specialist in mapping subterranean waters and their impact on the environment.
Elias Mujica, Peruvian, archaeologist and anthropologist with studies at Cornell University. Consultant to the UNDP/UNESCO project on cultural, urban and environmental heritage. Former chief of the National Institute of Culture of Peru and has been coordinator of the Consortium for Sustainable Develoment of the Andean Ecoregion.
Pierre L. Auger, Canadian physician, with specialty in occupational medicine from London University. He works in occupational and environmental medicine at the Department of Public Health in Quebec. He has published frequently on air quality and exposure to industrial toxics.
Ray Bustinza, Peruvian, physician with specialty in epidemiology from the University of Laval. Specialized in evaluating risks and impact on health, environment and occupational hazards. He is employed in the Quebec University Hospital Center and is a collaborator for the Panamerican and World Health Organizations.
Eduardo Vadillo, Mexicano, biologist with masters in environment and development from the Polytechnical Institute of Mexico. He has specialized in land use, environmental planning and diagnostics of protected natural areas, industrial installations and contamination of soil and water. He is a professor at the UNAM.
Hernan Mora Corrales, Costa Rica, agronomist graduate of the National Institute of Agronomy of Paris, with a masters in social sciences and economy. Specialist in ecological land use, sustainable development. He has worked for the FAO in Brazil and Paraguay and for the IICA in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Julio Calderon, Panama, biologist with masters from the University of Havana. Vast experience in biodiversity, integral handling of water resources and UN environmental conventions. Responsible for the region of central America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Environment Program.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#5)
The cement plant would go up in the The karst zone is a unique limestone area with caverns and underground river systems, regarded as a major reservoir for potable water. A judge ordered construction to stop until the case of its impact on the zone could be heard in court.
Environment Minister Jaime David Fernandez has said the permission was granted at a special request of President Leonel Fernandez. Originally, a team of experts of the Ministry of Environment had rejected the project at that site.
The United Nations team will begin its work in the DR next week, said Valerie Julliand, coordinator for the United Nations in the DR.
She explained the specialists were chosen "following criteria of academic ecellence, widespread knowledge of international conventions, work experience with the United Nations, integrity and transparency, among other aspects."
The team members and their background:
Juan Mayr Maldonado, team coordinator, Colombian, former minister of environment in Colombia, former president of the United Nations Commission for Sustainable Development.
Leslie F. Molerio, Cuban, geologist with a masters in isotope hydrology, a field that uses tecniques to study the origins and movement of water. Specialist on karst formations. Member of the UNESCO International World Natural Heritage Review Committee and member of the Speleological Federation of Latin America and the Caribbean (FEALC).
Luis A. Bojorquez, Mexican, biologist with a doctorate in the sustainable management of river basins from the University of Arizona and researcher at the Computational Earth Systems Sciencie de California, and Institute of Ecology at the state university in Mexico (UNAM). Specialist in mapping subterranean waters and their impact on the environment.
Elias Mujica, Peruvian, archaeologist and anthropologist with studies at Cornell University. Consultant to the UNDP/UNESCO project on cultural, urban and environmental heritage. Former chief of the National Institute of Culture of Peru and has been coordinator of the Consortium for Sustainable Develoment of the Andean Ecoregion.
Pierre L. Auger, Canadian physician, with specialty in occupational medicine from London University. He works in occupational and environmental medicine at the Department of Public Health in Quebec. He has published frequently on air quality and exposure to industrial toxics.
Ray Bustinza, Peruvian, physician with specialty in epidemiology from the University of Laval. Specialized in evaluating risks and impact on health, environment and occupational hazards. He is employed in the Quebec University Hospital Center and is a collaborator for the Panamerican and World Health Organizations.
Eduardo Vadillo, Mexicano, biologist with masters in environment and development from the Polytechnical Institute of Mexico. He has specialized in land use, environmental planning and diagnostics of protected natural areas, industrial installations and contamination of soil and water. He is a professor at the UNAM.
Hernan Mora Corrales, Costa Rica, agronomist graduate of the National Institute of Agronomy of Paris, with a masters in social sciences and economy. Specialist in ecological land use, sustainable development. He has worked for the FAO in Brazil and Paraguay and for the IICA in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Julio Calderon, Panama, biologist with masters from the University of Havana. Vast experience in biodiversity, integral handling of water resources and UN environmental conventions. Responsible for the region of central America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Environment Program.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#5)