Few land barons behind most of the devastation on highlands: Report

Santo Domingo.- As if a situation frozen intime, the reasons which led to the evictions in Valle Nuevo 23 years ago in1993, are the same that have now sparked the Environment Ministry’s 120-day deadlinefor squatters and farmers to leave the protected area.

At that time the report which prompted the evictionof some 300 families, according officials involved in the measure, said "severalentrepreneurs are destroying the reserve," by farming and livestock.

The same activities are still carried out invarious parts of what is officially called the Pérez Rancier National Park, notonly by landowners but by dozens of squatters.

Owners and occupants

According to the Valle Nuevo Co-ManagementCouncil representative Andrés Ferrer, there are currently three families thatown large tracts of land: Jose Delio Guzman, in farming and the Villa Pajon tourismproject with several cabins.

The list is completed with other familiesidentified only as "Mera" and "Bermudez."

Added to those names is Miguel Crouch, whom farmersquoted by eldia.com.do say grows strawberries on the highest elevations ofValle Nuevo.

Some of the lands exceed 6,300 hectares.

"We support not only the true families ,who depend only on what they were doing there, to find a solution, not thosewho have taken crops worth millions," Ferrer said.