Authorities perform coastal zone restoration of Long Beach in Puerto Plata

The Ministries of Tourism ( Mitur ) and Environment and Natural Resources, together with the Puerto Plata City Council, the Magua Ecological Foundation, Clean Ocean Foundation, Tourism Cluster, local businessmen, and other public entities, began work for the ecological restoration of the coastal marine area of the municipality San Felipe de Puerto Plata.

In that sense, a day of sanitation and restoration was carried out to educate and sensitize the population on this subject, benefiting in an important way the quality of the beaches of this tourist destination.

Among the results of this meeting, working groups of local volunteers were established to carry out mangrove sowing in areas of coastal plant ravines over the next three months to protect beaches from erosion.

Likewise, transplants and reproduction of corals will be carried out in nurseries and artificial rod reefs, in addition, the construction of fish farms (micro reefs) and cleaning of the coastal area.

Jakaira Cid, North Regional Director of Mitur; Danilo Morrobel, provincial director of the Ministry of Environment and Alejandro Redondo, executive director of the Magua Foundation, explained that the interest of the plan is to properly condition playa Long Beach to receive national, foreign and native tourists with quality.

Jakaira Cid

In addition, they announced that the project seeks to establish the first marine management areas in the form of “micro-sanctuaries,” start the restoration of coastal dunes for the regeneration of beaches, install micro reefs and coral domes in the micro-sanctuaries, as well as place signage and visual resources in the work area, establish a local work committee for the maintenance of pilot action point, among other actions.

They stressed that the results are sought, that the community is better prepared to receive and participate in the management plans for each area, the improvement of local water quality, the increase of marine biodiversity.

The projects also aim for the eventual recovery of the health status of coral reefs in the area, the slowing of the process of coastal erosion and healthy sandy dunes, the increase in the aesthetic quality of the destination (scenic beauty), and the eradication of the stench coming from the contaminated gullies, among other improvements.