Perceived corruption in forest management ‘worrisome’

Santo Domingo.-  The perceived corruption and impunity in Dominican Republic’s national and regional forest management is “worrisome” says the study “Evaluation of Transparency Policies in Forest Management.”

The study is part of the “Transparency and Accountability in Dominican Territorial Planning” program developed by Citizen Participation (PC) to determine the policies of transparency, accountability and access to public information carried out in the municipalities.

The document reveals the forestry sector’s “culture of corruption” linked to the issuing of permits and to the agencies charged with enforcing the laws and regulations.

PC notes that the application of the planned policies in the country requires a “clear and coherent legal framework that allows for the correction and termination of this situation.”

“The best-known corruption practices in the forestry sector are linked to the bodies responsible for authorizing the use and control of transport at the national level,” PC said, adding that in the municipalities, corruption is disguised as donations and supplies of material, logistics and fuel to the authorities, “which has become a practice of passive extortion to be able to act. The national forest sector lacks an adequate forest governance system.”