NewsWhore
09-28-2009, 03:50 PM
The Bahoruco Mountain Range National Park is under attack by Haitians and Dominicans who are stripping the mountains of their trees to make charcoal for the markets in Haiti.
The Forum on Protected Areas is complaining that these virgin forests are being invaded by people, who when caught by the authorities accuse park rangers of accepting RD$3,000 and RD$5,000 every two weeks in return for allowing them to cut down trees in the forest.
The park only has a few rangers and they are paid very low salaries. They do not have the equipment needed to patrol the 1,000 square kilometers of forested area. To top things off, three of the main ranger cabins have been abandoned for months, according to Hoy newspaper. The only functioning guardhouse is the one at Loma del Toro located beneath an observation tower in El Codo.
Some of the slash and burn is going on near the Mulito River, one of the main tributaries of the Pedernales River, and a key area for ecological studies and ecotourism expeditions. Local sources report that the one-time "panoramic" roadway to Aceitillar, which goes from Cabo Rojo to the middle of the park, is a disaster and allows the charcoal burners to "window shop" for places to invade. The Forum says that if things continue at the present rate, the future looks very grim for our protected areas.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#10)
The Forum on Protected Areas is complaining that these virgin forests are being invaded by people, who when caught by the authorities accuse park rangers of accepting RD$3,000 and RD$5,000 every two weeks in return for allowing them to cut down trees in the forest.
The park only has a few rangers and they are paid very low salaries. They do not have the equipment needed to patrol the 1,000 square kilometers of forested area. To top things off, three of the main ranger cabins have been abandoned for months, according to Hoy newspaper. The only functioning guardhouse is the one at Loma del Toro located beneath an observation tower in El Codo.
Some of the slash and burn is going on near the Mulito River, one of the main tributaries of the Pedernales River, and a key area for ecological studies and ecotourism expeditions. Local sources report that the one-time "panoramic" roadway to Aceitillar, which goes from Cabo Rojo to the middle of the park, is a disaster and allows the charcoal burners to "window shop" for places to invade. The Forum says that if things continue at the present rate, the future looks very grim for our protected areas.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#10)