By Arismendy Calderón
|
Hoy Digital (translated)
Regional dynamism - The construction of the low density real estate project in this forgotten region of the East, known as "Tropicalia," will invigorate the local economy and position Miches as a sustainable tourist destination.
EL CEDRO, MICHES - The community complained about the apathy of the authorities of the Environmental and Natural Resources Department towards the challenges generated in the area because of a lack of boundaries between private land and the protected area of the Lagunas Redonda and Limón National Park, adjacent to areas where they built several tourist projects.
“Unfortunately, and it hurts to say it, the authorities of Environmental and Natural Resources, which should become our natural allies so that this region exceeds the social and economic difficulties, have become the main obstacle for the development of Miches" complained Andris Garrido, President of Conatura-Miches.
Garrido, along with dozens of communes in this town, attended the second public hearing of the Tourism Real Estate project "Tropicalia," which will cover an area of 12 thousand meters squared, with a density of 3.5 rooms per hectare, held in the city of Miches. The environmental assessment process for a project of this nature is a prerequisite required by the authorities of the Environmental and Natural Resources Department. The company conducting the environmental impact study is Ecomar S.A., from the Dominican Republic.
Since 2001, when the new boundaries for Lagunas Redonda and Limón National Park were created, the authorities at the Environmental and Natural Resources Department promised to demark the protected area, but never fulfilled that responsibility. There are many conflicts of interest amongst landowners in that region.
These disadvantages are compounded by the bureaucratic complexity in the process of evaluating the environmental impact study of the Tropicalia tourism project. Part of the land acquired by billionaire Gustavo Cisneros is adjacent to the protected area of the Lagunas Redonda and Limón National Park and other land owners.
The presentation of the tourism project was attended by executives of the Fundación Tropicalia, executor of social and community programs for the tourism project, as well as specialists in botanical, hydrology, sociology, geology, archeology and legal areas. Also present was a large representation of the Committee for Tourism Development and Natural Resources Protection of Miches (Conatura-Miches).
One of the most innovative aspects of the event was the revelation of the discovery of a native settlement hundreds of years old located in the buffer zone of Laguna Redonda, about 300 meters away from the land owned by the Cisneros family, right on the farm of the Garrido succession. The Spanish Anthropologist Adolfo López and his team are conducting the research. Important archaeological pieces have been recovered by farmers in the area.
Features - The tourism project, whose management incorporates the principles of sustainable development and is guided by a strong Corporate Social Responsibility policy, will have an 80-room hotel of two floors within the Esmeralda beach area. Another mountain hotel will be built made up of 120 rooms and 600 private villas. The construction density is 3.5 rooms per hectare, making Tropicalia the lowest density tourism project in the country. In Bávaro, for example, the density used is between 35 and 80 rooms per hectare.
Employment - During the first phase of construction, Tropicalia will offer employment to more than three thousand people, and over its first twenty years projects the creation of about 14,000 job opportunities.
Environment - The project has the development for sustainable tourism that protects the environment as its main guideline, integrating communities to the development project and ensuring access to employment of local labor. The design features and architecture follow the philosophy of using local materials to establish a harmonious relationship between the buildings and the ecosystem of the area. In addition, this project meets all current standards established by the Law of Environmental and Natural Resources as key to its viability and to ensure the welfare of the local economy, cultural heritage and environmental preservation, and the general welfare of the community of Miches.
Sustainable Tourism - Project promoters say they have selected partners that incorporate the vision of sustainable tourism management, such as Auberge Resorts, a hotel company that incorporates local produce in the culinary offerings of its restaurants, and Odebrecht, a construction company that hires and trains local workers. Tropicalia takes a holistic approach, incorporating the elements of sustainability and social inclusion, and aims to be a model of responsible tourism that ensures environmental protection, the preservation of cultural heritage and diversification of the local economy.
Investment - The Tropicalia tourism project will be developed in three stages, over the course of 20 years and a total investment of US$200 million corresponding to an estimated investment per room, which is 10 times higher than conventional tourism projects.
Conatura-Miches
"This institution, which brings together all social, economic and civil society in Miches, feels a duty to make a call to the authorities of Environmental and Natural Resources to assume their role seriously and responsibly, and formalize the first authorization to construct a tourism project in the region of Miches without bureaucratic delays, and define the boundaries of the protected area of the Lagunas Redonda and Limón National Park so owners of land adjacent to the protected area can regulate their deeds and avoid unnecessary conflict."
As a nonprofit organization that has spent years fighting for the protection and preservation of our natural resources, supporting initiatives that drive the social and the economic development of our communities, is held alongside the best and healthiest interests of Miches, and reiterates its commitment to support regional projects that promote development, create jobs and help improve the living standards of our people. They are also entirely willing to be co-partners in the implementation of social, environmental and communal programs that benefit our communities, which have been forgotten throughout the years.
The Cost – 200 million dollars. This will be the total investment in the tourism real estate project “Tropicalia,” which will have an 18-hole golf course, two hotels and 600 villas; a total of 2,500 rooms.