La organización Ciudad Humana makes an urgent call to protect the Ozama Wetlands from illegal occupation, while the pollution of nearby rivers silently degrades one of the most important ecosystems of Greater Santo Domingo.
The organization Ciudad Humana has issued an urgent call to both citizens and the competent authorities to actively defend the Ozama Wetlands, a space of vital importance for the environmental sustainability of Greater Santo Domingo, which faces continuous attempts of illegal occupation that threaten its integrity.
During a recent reforestation day, carried out in conjunction with the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, members of Ciudad Humana witnessed firsthand the ongoing struggle the ministry faces against groups seeking to invade and appropriate these lands for private purposes, putting at serious risk one of the country’s main green lungs.
“What is happening in the Ozama Wetlands is a silent battle for the environmental future of our city. While some try to benefit illegally, there are public servants and community members who defend this ecosystem every day with effort and commitment,” expressed Stanly Abreu, a member of Ciudad Humana, to Noticias Ambientales.
The organization also wanted to highlight the precarious working conditions of many of the people working to protect these spaces. Their salaries, ranging from 9,000 to 15,000 pesos per month, were described as “undignified for those who sustain the noblest work: caring for our forests and sources of life.”
In this context, Ciudad Humana reaffirmed its commitment to environmental defense, ecological education and environmental justice, and urged to strengthen both the protection policies and surveillance of green areas as well as dignify the working conditions of those dedicated to their preservation.
Between the natural beauty and the threat to the Ozama Wetlands
The Ozama Wetlands National Park, with its forests and lagoons, has established itself as a home for nature thanks to the invaluable benefits it provides to the Dominican environment. However, the water bodies of this natural reserve face a persistent enemy: pollution from the overflows and waste from its closest rivers.
Located in the municipality of La Victoria, this protected area of 47.42 square kilometers owes its name to one of its main boundaries, the Ozama River. “The park originates in the Loma Los Siete Picos and all its lagoons are located in the middle part of this very important river,” explains Raúl Rustand, the park administrator.
Although these ponds are a source of life, their waters are threatened by the pollution flowing from the surrounding rivers. Waste such as pesticides from agricultural fields and fuel spills, among other elements, affect the water quality, making it unsuitable for consumption and much less for bathing. Added to this is the fact that the watercourses are very deep, between 25 and 30 meters depending on the area, which prevents visitors from immersing themselves.
The director of the DO Sostenible trust, Armando Paíno, recently pointed out that the Ozama River has become the second largest landfill in Greater Santo Domingo, ensuring that there are companies that dump their waste there, which represents a clear risk to the biodiversity of the park.
This statement is supported by research from the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (Intec) and The Ocean Cleanup, which revealed that the Ozama dumps between 40% and 90% of its plastic waste directly into the Caribbean Sea, passing through different locations, including the wetland lagoons.
“The Ozama River deposits water into the Cabón River which, in turn, transfers it to the lagoons we have in the Manatí area and other points,” warns Rustand.
An ecological bastion under constant protection
Despite these threats, the Ozama Wetlands stand as an essential resource to mitigate global warming.
For Aleyda Capella, coordinator of the “Mangroves” Educational Campaign of Grupo Jaragua, this area “helps recharge underground aquifers and control floods,” in addition to purifying the air and being a home to multiple species.
A report from the National Geological Service confirms that these ecosystems ensure the availability of water and stabilize its quality.
To ensure the conservation of the park, Rustand, along with Franklin de La Rosa, president of the Dominican Association of Park Rangers (Asodogua), and a team of 36 people, conduct constant monitoring.
“The park rangers patrol daily to prevent this type of situation, so that the waters of the lagoons we have in the park do not get contaminated,” clarifies the responsible person. He also explains that “always keeping all its shores populated with trees” creates a natural filtration system.
Conservation is also supported by events with students and foundations that collaborate in the reforestation of deteriorated areas. “The students who visit us reforest some of the points that are not well populated with trees and also restore those that have deteriorated,” notes Rustand.
The park is distinguished by its variety of ponds, with lagoons reaching up to 1.5 kilometers in length. In the Santo Domingo area alone, there are five of these deposits, including the Manatí, Flamenco, Enea, Catalino, and Elpidio lagoons, inhabited by a vast diversity of fish such as catfish, tilapia, mackerel, and guabinas, which can be observed during boat rides and fishing activities.
To preserve this richness, the activist from Grupo Jaragua maintains that “the Ministry of Environment (…) must provide the area with the necessary amount of personnel trained in control and surveillance tasks.”
This aligns with the Sectoral Law of Protected Areas 202-04, which establishes the need to protect the ecological integrity of these parks and prevent their exploitation. Rustand concludes that this provision is key to conserving biodiversity and “preventing people from entering these areas to cut down or take the lands.”
