Santo Domingo.-  The Environment Ministry disbursed on Monday another RD$9.0 million in compensation to the 99 families evicted from Los Haitises National Park, as part of the effort to recover the embattled protected area.

The farmers affirmed however that the Park’s deterioration continues because of the planting of short cycle crops. They said situation won’t change until all the affected farmers get the compensation and the others relocated.

Farmers’ spokesman Alejandro Garcia denounced that a group of Haitians is devastating the Park and that the Environment Ministry must seek a solution to that problem together with their organization.

Garcia spoke during the delivery of the funds by Environment, which has now paid RD$67.2 million from the original 147 million pledged to the farmers evicted under Decree 192-92, which created the National Park in 1992.

In addition to money, the 1,300 families of squatters were given houses and land when they claimed ownership of some of the properties in that zone, from which 994 families have been evicted thus far. The beneficiaries given the money today live the communities Cristal, Bajo Yuna, Los Limones, Majagual and Pilancón.