Santo Domingo.- The Association of Caribbean States (ACS) approvedthe Dominican Republic to host the next symposium on the preservation of the CaribbeanSea, the Dominican Foreign Ministry said Sunday in a statement in Havana, EFEreports.
The ACS’ Special Council of Ministers Meeting forms part ofthe mechanism to monitor the technical work and actions carried out since 1998to protect f the Caribbean Sea, said Foreign minister Andrés Navarro, whorepresented the Dominican government in the Havana conclave.
He reiterated his country’s commitment to defend, protectand use the Caribbean Sea sustainably, and stressed the joint efforts by the ACSmember countries, which resulted in the UN General Assembly resolution in 2008,"Towards Sustainable Development of the Caribbean Sea for present andfuture generations."
Navarro said the report recognizes the Caribbean Sea’s importancewith ??unique biodiversity and highly fragile ecosystem that requires collaborationby all to develop the coastal and marine resources.
He said more than 115 million people live along the Caribbeancoasts, in addition to 20 million visitors annually, "for which thetourist pressure, unregulated fishing and climate change, among other elementscome together in a lethal combination that threatens the biodiversity of one ofthe planet’s most vulnerable ecosystems."