He made this statement at a meeting with the board of the Foreign Investment Association (Asiex), whose members he explained the aim and scope of this government plan.
In this sense, he explained that the initiative promotes the restoration of forests in protected areas and coastal areas, reforestation in high mountains and forestry.
The presidency website published that the aim of the meeting was to strengthen cooperation between government and business and promote environmental sustainability in the Caribbean country.
The meeting was attended by Asiex President Alejandro Peña; and directors Juan Velázquez, Danilo Ginebra, Franklin Mass, Mario Torres, Gonzalo Gil, Ioannis Moutafis and Patricia Bobea.
During his talk, Ceara emphasized the urgency of raising awareness about the importance of protecting the Caribbean Sea and coastal marine ecosystems.
He also referred to the digitization work of the Ministry of the Environment and the launch of the “Virtual Environmental Permit System”, a platform that allows applications for environmental permits for works, projects and economic activities to be streamlined and made more transparent.
The government of Luis Abinader considers the implementation of the 2023-2024 reforestation and forest ecosystem restoration plan as “national security”.
The goal is to plant 320,000 trees in the country’s 31 provinces, including coastal areas, five watersheds and four protected areas.
The implementation began on June 10 and, according to the executive branch, was initially developed in the country’s main hydrographic basins, such as the Yuna River, and in the tributaries that irrigate the greater Santo Domingo area.
Institutions, civil society organizations and companies have joined the planting days of Creole pine, Honduran mahogany, Creole mahogany, sea grapes, eucalyptus, white cedar and other species since the beginning of the above plan.
jha/mpv