GEO Haiti 2010
GEO Haiti 2010
GEO Haiti 2010
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<strong>GEO</strong> HAITI • <strong>2010</strong><br />
160<br />
State of the<br />
Environment<br />
Urban Growth in<br />
Coastal Areas<br />
Socioeconomic<br />
Situation<br />
- Forest Cover and Biodiversity<br />
One of the major challenges to sustainable solutions lies in the fact that <strong>Haiti</strong> is<br />
generally unable to ensure the continuity of its environmental restoration and<br />
conservation programmes when institutional political changes take place.<br />
Few national actions intended to protect biodiversity are carried out. Despite the<br />
endangered status of some indigenous species, no efforts have been made to<br />
protect them.<br />
Very little of the budget is allocated to management and conservation activities<br />
designed to preserve vegetative cover and biodiversity.<br />
International conventions signed by the State as well as local environmental laws<br />
are rarely enforced.<br />
Little research is done on indigenous species and biological inventory.<br />
- Air Quality<br />
Industrial emissions continue to increase moderately. Fumes from charcoal<br />
production (deforestation) are greater in the rural areas. There are tentative efforts<br />
to offset carbon through reforestation. Pressure on forests due to additional<br />
human settlement also has a negative effect on these efforts.<br />
- Waste<br />
Garbage collection is irregular. Microenterprises specialised in recycling and<br />
composting were created to treat waste. International organisations join the<br />
efforts but field reports still indicate mixed results. Overlapping occurs in certain<br />
areas where the population is ill-informed on waste management.<br />
- Infrastructures and Services<br />
Services and infrastructures are all centralised. The provision of basic services is<br />
lacking in many rural areas. Indeed, some have only been able to benefit from<br />
minimal facilities due to the efforts of local and international organizations.<br />
Educational standards, particularly at elementary level have not really improved.<br />
Both the establishment of school facilities and the necessary innovations are<br />
slow in coming. Current measures have faced barriers due to traditionalism and<br />
opposition to change. To overcome these obstacles, the government plans to set<br />
up mechanisms which will help bridge the gaps in educational standards.<br />
- Health<br />
Insufficient health services in rural areas; the main hospitals are located in the<br />
cities. Public information programmes on preventive measures are lacking in<br />
remote areas throughout the country.<br />
Low sanitation coverage giving rise to numerous microenterprises offering water<br />
treatment in order to counteract this deficiency.<br />
- Employment<br />
The majority of those of working-age, whether trained or untrained and with or<br />
without experience, is unemployed. However, there could be the possibility of<br />
a need for trained personal in technical fields such as construction, information<br />
technology (creating specific programmes for specific domains), geology and<br />
telecommunications.