Warning: All sectors must avert coral reef destruction

Santiago.- Eastern EcologicalFoundation (Fundaeco) president Bernardo Santana on Sunday warned of the damageto Dominican Republic´s coral reef system and urged all national sectors toprevent their destruction.

Among the main reasonsfor his removal, Santana cited human intervention and global warming,situations he affirms require "necessary awareness of all sectors of thecountry to mitigate such damage."

To mark InternationalEcology Day every November 1, Santana said the Foundation´s most important concern“is to raise awareness of the damage that large industries are doing to theenvironment, to disproportionate fishing and the use of chemicals that arebombarded directly to the reefs, impacting negatively on biodiversity and all formsof life that live there."

The former chief of theNational Police said it’s vital to halt the dumping of solid waste to the sea andwatch over the cleaning of vessels offshore, whose waste often washes up on beaches.