NewsWhore
09-04-2006, 06:40 PM
The Diego de Ocampo mountain is an ecological reserve, but trees on the north coast's highest peak are being cut down at an alarming rate. According to Listin Diario, both hardwoods and fruit trees are being cut along the buffer zone of the southern flanks of the mountain. The mountain is one of the few scientific forest reserves in the Dominican Republic. Most of the cutting is of the "slash and burn" method in order to plant a few crops. Much of the degradation of the forests has taken place in Piedra de Palmar Arriba in the Villa Gonzalez municipal area. According to campesinos who live in the area, most of the usable wood is taken out along improvised roads during the night. The "Las Lagunas" ecological group from Villa Gonzalez took Listin Diario reporters to the sites of various clear cuts and emphasized the need to halt the cutting.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#12)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#12)