MINAE Union Blasts New Forestry Decree

AS the country prepared to celebrateNational Tree Day on Tuesday, theWorkers Syndicate of the Environment andEnergy Ministry (SITRAMINAE) announcedit filed a motion of unconstitutionalitylast week against the government for anexecutive decree permitting the selectedextraction of trees in the maritime zone.The syndicate claims the decree,signed by President Abel Pacheco andEnvironment and Energy Minister CarlosManuel Rodríguez, violates Article 50 ofthe Constitution, which guarantees allCosta Ricans the right to a healthy andbalanced environment.The decree, published May 14 in LaGaceta, the official state newspaper, establishesthe possibility of removing 15% ofprimary forests and 25% of secondaryforests in coastal areas for the purposes ofselected construction.