GEO Haiti 2010

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GEO HAITI • 2010 102 Table 23: Statistics on Forests Forest Areas and Changes Haïti Central America and the Caribbean Total forest area, 2000 (000 hectares) 88 78,737 Natural forest area, 2000 (000 hectares) 68 76,556 Plantation area, 2000 (000 hectares) 20 1,295 Total area of solid land, 1950-1981 (000 hectares) {a} 70 138,063 Changes in the forest area: -44% --- Total, 1990-2000 -53% -11% Natural, 1990-2000 5% -11% Plantations, 1990-2000 ---- 0% Original forest {b} as a percentage of total land area {c} 93% 67% Forest area in 2000 as a percentage of total land area {c} 3% 29% Area of forestry coverage (000 hectares), 2000. Note: Data concerning the forestry coverage is obtained using methodologies that are different from those used to calculate the forestry area above. These two types of calculations may vary significantly. Soil area with forestry coverage: Above 10% 2,251 175,478 Above 25% 1,196 134,045 Above 50% 225 72,537 Above 75% 85 38,012 Ecosystem areas according to type: Total land area 2,775 271,325 Percentage of total land area covered by: Forests 12% 34% Shrubs, savannahs and grasslands 29% 41% Cultivated land mosaic of cultivated land and natural vegetation 42% 22% Urban and built-up areas 0.1% 0.1% Sparse or unproductive vegetation; snow and ice 0% 1% Swamps and water bodies of water 16% 3% Source: MOE et al. 2007 (ESMAP) in Earth trends Figure 49: Map of Likely Vegetation in Haiti at the Beginning of the Colonial Period Source: HATZENBERGER, 2001
State of the Environment Report 2010 The table above highlights a 53% reduction in 2000 of the existing forest area in Haiti before 1990, while for the rest of the region, the reduction was only of 11% during the same period. It also shows that, in addition to being reduced, the areas covered by vegetation are excessively exploited. With regard to the country’s ecosystems 3.1 Complex Origin of Degradation The causes of the plant cover degradation in Haiti have been denounced by both experts and population. These are multiple and complex, and generally due to the low economic level of the majority of the population. 3.1.1 Sustained Demand for Wood Energy The first cause mentioned rests on one of the foundations of the Haitian economy: the energy habits of scores of small- and medium-sized enterprises, of the average Haitian, and possibly also, of almost all residents country. More than 70% of the energy needs of the country come from wood or coal (SAINT-JEAN, 1998). This situation is all the more serious as there is presently no energy forest, which means that the supply of firewood is continually taken from the remaining wooded areas. In the year 2000 alone, the necessary production for this consumption was 1,978,000 m 3 of firewood and coal (FAO, 2005a). Yet, at present in Haiti 38 , between 15 and 20 million trees are still cut down each year. However efforts have been made, in particular by the Mining and Energy Bureau (BME), to convert the laundries and bakeries’ thermal combustion systems to other sources of fuel, such as diesel. Nevertheless, the obstacles to these efforts are generally of a financial nature as the majority of small and medium size-enterprises do not have access to credit. Attempts at technology-transfer and of modifications within household energyhabits include improved wood or coal fireplaces, 38 www.ht.undp.org or propane gas stoves (LPG) or kerosene stoves, solar water- heaters and stoves, and photovoltaic current generators. However, these efforts have not yielded any conclusive results, due to “institutional problems and the absence of fiscal and legal incentives” (MOE/BME, 2003). 3.1.2 Agriculture In the opinion of specialists, land-clearing would be the second cause of forest and woodland regression in Haiti. Farming requires land and this is also the most important economic activity in the country. Therefore, non-agricultural vegetation cover, found to be of little use, is razed and replaced by crops with greater market value. Over the years, due to the population explosion, people have become more and more involved in farming and, in turn, similarly, more and more areas are cleared. On the other hand, the practice of land inheritance, throughout generations, by plot parceling, has led to land- clearing in order to gain additional space. Another feature of Haitian agriculture is that the land is characteristically fallow for short periods. In order to maximize the income from his land and meet his many obligations, the farmer may ignore the positive impact of this practice. Thus, the productivity of the land declines yearly. Ultimately, the farmer is left with almost sterile plots. Facing with this situation, the destitute farmer moves on to other unexplored areas and begins land-clearing activities, and the destructive cycle continues. Figure 50: When Agriculture Nibbles into Forest Areas Source: SAH 103
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