Environment Ministry Introduces Sustainable Forestry Management Plan

Environment Ministry Introduces Sustainable Forestry Management Plan
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 1/20/2012

The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources introduced the Sustainable Forestry Management Plan in coordination with the municipality of Restauración with support from the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ in German). The project involves 5,797 hectares of forests distributed into 193 Management Plans.

The Management Plans, once put into effect, undergo an evaluation system based on national and international criteria.

According to information provided by Deputy Ministry of Forestry Resources, part of the Ministry of Environment, between 2003 and 2010, forest covering in Restauración increased by 12,8% due to the large extensions of reforested grass and pine trees in the area under the Management Plans.

The Management Plan covers protected areas wherein the trees in the forests cannot be touched. These include areas surrounded by ravines, steep slopes and river banks. As such, private land owners in Restauración, with support of the Ministry of Environment, are managing the area’s resources in a sustainable manner.

The Management Plans, once put into effect, undergo an evaluation system based on national and international criteria.

The first management plan established in Restauración, located in the upper basin of the Artibonito River, took place in 1997; the first sawmill was set up in 1940.  The great economic potential of the area stems from its wealth of natural forests and commercial forestry.

Fully 56% of this municipality is under a natural forest covering, predominantly native pine.