Can a peripheral area like Montecristi and the northwest line become a factor of local and regional development?

This text gathers the main geographic, social, demographic, economic and
productive components that make up Montecristi and the “northwest line”, a
composite space -in addition to Montecristi- for the Valverde, Santiago Rodríguez
and Dajabón provinces. The purpose of the work is to help visualize the positive
elements of a region that is usually perceived only as a place of transit, isolated
and peripheral, of cross-border trade, excluded from development policies at the
national level. Because until now the plans and proposals that have been thought
for this region have not managed to act as a permanent attraction pole that results
in a definitive improvement of the quality of life of its inhabitants. According
to this work, the northwest line could benefit greatly from the comparative
advantages derived from its microclimates or differentiated production areas,
from the cross-border trade with Haiti, from the port of Manzanillo and from the
protected areas that serve as scientific reserves and life refuges wild, as well as a
point of attraction for ecotourism.