Environment Ministry Gives RD$6.4 Million to Families Evacuated from Haitises National Park

Jaime David Fernández Mirabal, Minister of Environment, gave RD$6,455,218 to 119 families who were evacuated from the Los Haitises National Park when it was turned into a protected area in 1992.

This handover of money is the second this year and fulfills the mandate of the 192-92 Decree

This handover of money is the second this year and fulfills the mandate of the 192-92 Decree (that created the park) and Decree 17-06 which created the Special Commission to complete the compensation process for the families who were relocated from the park despite the fact that the area was inhabited by families with small farms and cattle.

Eleuterio Martínez, Deputy Secretary for Protected Areas and Biodiversity, led the activity along with Ricardo Contreras, Deputy Administrative and Financial Secretary. Contreras explained that before the end of November they will distribute an additional RD$6.9 million to another part of the beneficiaries. In December they will hand over RD$4 million to a total of 900 families.

Martínez affirmed that the compensation, which is minimal when compared to what the residents of the park had to give up when they were moved, represents a sacrifice for both sides especially considering the national and global economic crisis. He announced that the rest of the money to be distributed this year will be given to the beneficiaries of Pilancón and other communities of the Monte Plata province.

The Environment Ministry is immersed in a process of intervention involving increased vigilance and recuperation of the protected area which holds a strategic reserve of water, flora and fauna and is considered to be part of the Dominican Republic´s national security. Nevertheless, deforestation and the use of chemical fertilizers to cultivate yautía, ñame and mapuey affect the environmental quality of the area. Something is soon expected to be done about the situation.

Los Haitises Park is an area of 1,600 square kilometers, of which 800 square kilometers are effectively protected. The main ecological value of the area is that it is one of the only four points on the planet with karstics formations, stone reliefs of meteorological chemical origins formed from certain rocks such as dolomite or limestone, and made up of water-soluble minerals. This area also serves as a cushion in storms and cyclones and is the cradle of important rivers that supply water to people in the Eastern and Northeastern part of the country.

Compensation Process

The Special Committee for Los Haitises was working with the 1992 census base which estimated there were some 3,220 families living in the park at the time. It was at this time that the compensation packages were calculated at RD$79 million, based on the collective property values of 2,799 families. In addition to the expense entries from the Environment Ministry, a part of the evacuated families have received parcels of land from the Dominican Agricultural Institute (IAD). Another group received a total of 788 homes from the National Housing Institute (INVI).

Los Haitises Park is an area of 1,600 square kilometers, of which 800 square kilometers are effectively protected

The Special Commission for Los Haitises is made up of representatives from 15 institutions including the Ministries of Environment and Finance; the Dominican Agricultural Institute (IAD), the General Office of National Assets, the United Community Farm Workers Movement (MCCU), the Central Zone of the Social Pastoral of the Catholic Church.

Also involved are the provincial governors of Monte Plata, Hato Mayor and Duarte as well as representatives of the “Los Haitises” Green Camp Association,” the Association of the Relocated of Valle and Sabana de la Mar and the National Environmental Protection Services (SENPA). At the most recent meeting of the commission, Environment Minister Jaime David Fernández Mirabal, explained that the compensation money yet to be delivered will likely be part of the 2009 national budget. He added that solutions to the problems are being found in new technology which is being used to produce ñame, yautía and mapuey, as their cultivation has a degrading effect on the land.

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