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Senate commission presses DNA for documents after evidence of filling and mangrove damage at Monte Papayo
Summary
At a Feb. 7 Senate hearing, DNA Secretary Anahí Rodríguez Vega described technical findings from drone and site surveys in Monte Papayo and said roughly 45 referrals are under investigation; senators demanded a full case inventory and set an executive interagency meeting to determine immediate actions.
The Senate Commission on Development of the South and Central Region held a hearing Feb. 7 on allegations of illegal filling, mangrove removal and other impacts at Monte Papayo in La Parguera, Lajas. The commission asked the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNA) to deliver a detailed inventory of referred complaints and related interagency communications by Feb. 14 and scheduled an executive meeting with other agencies to decide next steps.
Anahí Rodríguez Vega, secretary of the Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales, told the commission the Papayo wetland consists of mangrove forest, a coastal lagoon and historic salt flats and that decades of development and more recent fill have reduced wetland area and created public‑health concerns. "El humedal del papayo está ubicado en Lajas… Décadas de uso han afectado las condiciones de la laguna," she said while presenting aerial photos, GIS analysis and results of three drone flights conducted in June–July 2023.
Rodríguez Vega said DNA identified about…
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