Dominicans’ priority: Haiti’s stability, protected environment

Santo Domingo, .- Promoting Haiti’s development, stability and environmental care must be a priority for Dominicans, if it wants to secure the survival and prevent towns such as Nagua from vanishing, said Environment minister Francisco Dominguez.

He warned that like it or not, promoting stability in Haiti is a strategic political issue, because if decisions aren’t made to protect the forests and, above all, the rivers that end up in that nation, “an explosive situation would be created for the Dominican Republic, since nobody is going to let themselves die of thirst.”

He affirmed that climate change, adaptation measures and the issue of the Dominican Republic and Haiti are fundamental for the ecological balance of the island.

“If we now talk about the issue of immigration from Haiti as a serious problem, much more serious and important for the stability of both nations is the ecological balance that must exist,” Dominguez said, quoted by El Dia.

He said that safeguarding protected areas creates conflicts and threats because of affected interests, but they are necessary.

On Bahia de las Aguilas’ development, the official cautioned that although he support the construction of hotels, not in the park, but in areas which are not protected instead.