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View Full Version : Academy of Science rejects mining at Miranda



NewsWhore
08-02-2012, 04:30 PM
The Dominican Academy of Science believes that the Loma Miranda area, located in La Vega, should not be exploited, because besides being an area that generates rain, the nickel that it possesses is believed to contain heavy metals such as chrome, which means the extraction process will pollute the waters of the Yuna-Camu watershed and the Rincon reservoir that irrigates 122,000 tareas of land, which is mostly dedicated to rice cultivation. According to Hoy newspaper, Xtrata Nickel (Falconbridge) is planning to mine Loma Miranda and has carried out environmental impact studies, saying that if the results show that there would be pollution, they would not exploit the area. Executives of the Falconbridge Dominicana S.A. have delivered an environmental impact statement to the commission in the Chamber of Deputies. According to Hoy, the study shows that there would not be any environment damage within the ecosystem, since the area that would be mined will be completely reforested by the company.

During a press conference, the Academy of Science's Environmental Team and the Natural Science Commission delivered a study that details the biological wealth that this hill, located on the north side of the Central Mountains possesses. They note that there are 500 botanical species and a high percentage of endemic species on the land. Prominent ecologist and academy spokesman Eleuterio Martinez noted that the Miranda hill was a major water source.

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