DNER reviews changes in NEC composition
By REBECCA BANUCHI
The Department of Natural and Environmental Resources is evaluating the possibility of extending southward the limits of what would be the Northeastern Ecological Corridor’s natural reservoir to cover a hydrological catchment area that caters to those lands, as well as preserving the maritime area.
At the same time, DNER Secretary Daniel Galán Kercadó said that the agency is carefully examining nearly 3,200 acres of land currently comprising the NEC to identify which can be developed.
“We’re looking at how we can improve some areas, go south. There are three major bodies of water that serve the wetlands that are within, and we also want to protect that part. We also want to extend the reserve to the beach area,” Galán Kercadó said.
The agency chief said it is the Planning Board’s responsibility to decide what uses are permitted on those lands that are not included in the nature reserve.
“We are suggesting that everything that is ecologically important is protected within the corridor,” he said. “What has been determined as previously impacted areas, which are of lesser ecological value, the Board will determine what will be done with the land without affecting the natural resource.”
For environmental scientist Luis Jorge Rivera Herrera, of the Pro NEC Coalition, Galán Kercadó’s statements reveal that the Fortuño administration’s plans for the area were clear, before the executive order that in 2008 designated the area as a nature reserve was revoked.
“This is evidence that they already had an agenda beforehand. If they already say what they want for the area without having begun the evaluation process, the process is flawed,” Rivera Herrera said.
“They said they were going to wait for the analysis process to see whether the delineation of the nature reserve was justified. That announcement came just a month ago, and they are already saying what they will do,” he added.
Rivera Herrera further questioned whether the DNER is really in charge of the analysis.
“It would be interesting to know who is responsible for conducting the assessment. If the DNER is conducting it or if this really is an order from the developers of the San Miguel and Dos Mares [projects], which is what we suspect,” he said, in reference to the two mega-resorts that have been proposed for the area covering the municipalities of Luquillo and Fajardo.
The Department of Natural and Environmental Resources is evaluating the possibility of extending southward the limits of what would be the Northeastern Ecological Corridor’s natural reservoir to cover a hydrological catchment area that caters to those lands, as well as preserving the maritime area.
At the same time, DNER Secretary Daniel Galán Kercadó said that the agency is carefully examining nearly 3,200 acres of land currently comprising the NEC to identify which can be developed.
“We’re looking at how we can improve some areas, go south. There are three major bodies of water that serve the wetlands that are within, and we also want to protect that part. We also want to extend the reserve to the beach area,” Galán Kercadó said.
The agency chief said it is the Planning Board’s responsibility to decide what uses are permitted on those lands that are not included in the nature reserve.
“We are suggesting that everything that is ecologically important is protected within the corridor,” he said. “What has been determined as previously impacted areas, which are of lesser ecological value, the Board will determine what will be done with the land without affecting the natural resource.”
For environmental scientist Luis Jorge Rivera Herrera, of the Pro NEC Coalition, Galán Kercadó’s statements reveal that the Fortuño administration’s plans for the area were clear, before the executive order that in 2008 designated the area as a nature reserve was revoked.
“This is evidence that they already had an agenda beforehand. If they already say what they want for the area without having begun the evaluation process, the process is flawed,” Rivera Herrera said.
“They said they were going to wait for the analysis process to see whether the delineation of the nature reserve was justified. That announcement came just a month ago, and they are already saying what they will do,” he added.
Rivera Herrera further questioned whether the DNER is really in charge of the analysis.
“It would be interesting to know who is responsible for conducting the assessment. If the DNER is conducting it or if this really is an order from the developers of the San Miguel and Dos Mares [projects], which is what we suspect,” he said, in reference to the two mega-resorts that have been proposed for the area covering the municipalities of Luquillo and Fajardo.
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