Environmental organization warns of bill’s potential impact on karst system.

The 1999 Law for the Protection and Conservation of the Karst Physiography of Puerto Rico was passed to recognize the unique value of the karst region and establish mechanisms to protect essential resources for Puerto Rico, including aquifers, caves, sinkholes and ecosystems. (Wikipedia)

By THE STAR STAFF

Environmental organization Citizens of the Karst (CDK) expressed concern this week over House Bill (HB) 1079, which they claim would weaken fundamental protections for one of the island’s most important natural systems.

HB 1079 proposes amending the Law for the Protection and Conservation of the Karst Physiography of Puerto Rico (Law 292-1999). Law 292 was passed to recognize the unique value of the karst region and establish mechanisms to protect essential resources for Puerto Rico, including aquifers, caves, sinkholes, ecosystems, and habitats for numerous species of flora and fauna.

“The karst is not simply a landscape or a collection of geological formations,” CDK President Abel Vale Nieves said. “It is a natural infrastructure that sustains resources essential for the life and well-being of Puerto Rico. To speak of the karst is to speak of water, biodiversity, and the future.”

The environmental organization noted that for more than three decades it has conducted research, education and environmental advocacy efforts related to the protection of the karst system and its associated resources.

Among the main concerns identified by the organization are proposed changes that could alter the scope and application of the protections established by Law 292, as well as potential implications for the conservation and management of natural resources essential to Puerto Rico.

“The protection of the karst has never been an issue separate from environmental conservation,” Vale Nieves added. “It is about protecting resources that directly impact the quality of life of communities and the well-being of future generations.”

The CDK called on citizens to become informed about the bill’s contents and to actively participate in the democratic process by publicly expressing their concerns.

The organization urged citizens to:

• Contact their legislators

• Request public hearings on the measure

• Publicly express their concerns and opposition

• Share information about the importance of karst ecosystems and the potential effects of the proposal.

“The decisions we make today about our natural systems will have consequences that will transcend generations,” Vale Nieves said. “Citizen participation is essential to ensure that these decisions are made with the information and analysis that an issue like this deserves.”