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Why restoring native forests in Haiti will jumpstart its development

May 22, 2017 por Andy Drumm 3 Comments


In my travels around Haiti, by foot, car, tap-tap, moto-taxi and airplane over the past several years, I’ve witnessed the evident lack of forest cover on the hillsides. Small wonder that every year the rains bring flooding to the lowlands and loss of life, homes and crops. But these tragedies are further exacerbated because, in the absence of forest cover, hillsides are unable to absorb the precious rainfall needed to recharge the aquifers that sustain agriculture, tourism and communities, as it washes in a torrent down to the sea. With it, countless tons of precious topsoil are washed from the hills forever, reducing farmers’ productivity and financial stability. This soil once in the sea becomes sediment that blocks the sunlight from reaching the sea grasses and corals, choking and killing them, resulting in a reduction in their capacity to provide fish to the thousands that depend on them for their survival in waters already increasingly inhospitable to sea life due to the warming effects of climate change.

Loss of forest cover is a cascading, ongoing crisis and barrier to development in Haiti.

Restoring Haiti’s forest cover in the mountain watersheds across the country is probably the most urgent and cost-effective way to mitigate against natural disasters, to adapt to climate change and to ensure the long-term viability and productivity of both agriculture and fisheries.

The scale of the crisis risks being understated, in part, due to the way forest is defined. The widely-used FAO definition of forest – which holds forest to mean greater than 10% canopy cover – would allow for an area to be largely deforested and still be defined as forest by this criterion. In terms of the viability of a forest ecosystem – it could be expected to be at least 60% canopy cover and above depending on the forest type. Additionally, forest cover analyses tend to be based on satellite imagery, and while satellite measurements are good at detecting green stuff (leaves) they are much less good at indicating if the green stuff is herbaceous, small shrubs and pioneer trees, or actual old-growth forest.

A recent (2016) analysis by USAID’s Geocenter produces a useful picture of Haiti’s forests (See figure 1).

Figure 1 – A recent (2016) analysis by USAID’s Geocenter produces a useful picture of Haiti’s forests

However, it is important to recognize that this analysis does not distinguish between agroforestry, which includes plantations, exotic and invasive species, and native Haitian forest.

So, in terms of forest biodiversity, the situation is even more dire. Haiti’s remaining forest ecosystems, other than mangroves, now survive only in the Massif de la Hotte in the Southwest, and, to a lesser degree in the Massif de La Selle in the Southeast.

Outside of these remaining refuges of native forest habitats, tree cover is so dispersed and fragmented that they can no longer provide basic forest ecosystem services, such as:

  • Slope stabilization and soil conservation;
  • Wildlife habitat;
  • Regulation of the hydrologic cycle;
  • Carbon sequestration;
  • Timber and non-timber forest products; and
  • Recreation and cultural value.

Parts of the Massif de La Hotte and Massif La Selle on the South coast are exceptions that still have important areas of forest cover housing critical natural habitats for native and some endemic species. But even these areas are under considerable pressure with the advance of the agricultural frontier.

We must devote time and resources to help Haiti regain its natural forest cover and biodiversity. Some strategies for ensuring projects contribute to that objective include:

  • Differentiate between native forests which are resilient and provide stable, sustainable ecosystem services and wildlife habitat, and agroforestry systems (which may not include resilient native species and frequently, very few trees);
  • Strengthen the protected area system;
  • Expand investment in biodiversity-friendly agroforestry systems integrating more native tree species;
  • Prioritize investments in activities in the buffer zones around protected areas in critical watersheds;
  • Provide direct economic incentives to local people to plant and care for native trees

The Inter-American Development Bank is integrating some of these strategies into the Bank’s Agricultural Technology Transfer initiative (PTTA2). These strategies can more effectively reduce disaster risk, improve agricultural and fisheries productivity and conserve Haiti’s unique biodiversity and remaining natural heritage.


Filed Under: Environmental and Social Safeguards Tagged With: agriculture, Agroforestry, biodiversity, forests, Haiti, International Day for Biological Diversity

Andy Drumm

Andy es especialista en turismo sustentable y áreas protegidas con más de 20 años de experiencia en el desarrollo e implementación de estrategias para maximizar la contribución del turismo a la conservación de la naturaleza y las culturas nativas en todo el mundo, y en particular en América Latina y el Caribe. Ha vivido en Ecuador y las Islas Galápagos por 11 años antes de mudarse a Washington DC en 1998 para desempeñarse como Especialista Senior en Ecoturismo en The Nature Conservancy. Andy es miembro de la Comisión Global de Áreas Protegidas y también del Directorio Asesor Senior del Global Heritage Fund. Actualmente se desempeña como Especialista Senior en Biodiversidad del BID, donde se halla abocado al manejo y mitigación de los impactos ambientales y sociales de los proyectos de desarrollo en Haití.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Debbie Baker says

    May 23, 2017 at 8:54 am

    Great information! Do you have this in French so I can share it with my Haitian students?

    Reply
    • Andy Drumm says

      June 15, 2017 at 6:54 am

      Hi Debbie,
      Many thanks for your comment. I’m really pleased to say we also have a French translation now online: https://merge-susta-idb-blogs.pantheonsite.io/vivasustainability-en/2017/05/27/forets-haiti/
      Please feel free to share widely. – Andy

      Reply
    • Andy Drumm says

      June 15, 2017 at 6:55 am

      Hi Debbie,
      Many thanks for your comment. I’m really pleased to say we also have a French translation now online: https://merge-susta-idb-blogs.pantheonsite.io/vivasustainability-en/2017/05/27/forets-haiti/
      Please feel free to share widely.

      Reply

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Sustainability

This blog is a space to reflect about the challenges, opportunities and the progress made by Latin American and Caribbean countries on the path towards the region’s sustainable development.

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