GEO Haiti 2010

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GEO HAITI • 2010 96 Morin and at Grande-Rivière, where mangroves expanded over a length of 500 to 600 m. Mangroves were also visible at Limonade-Cove, Caracol-Bay, Acul Bay (to the west of Cap-Haïtien), along the coast of La Tortue Island facing Port de Paix, along the Saint-Nicolas bank, and at Gonaives Bay at St. Marc. These extended over a distance of 20 km long and 6 km wide, serving as filters against the deposits coming from the Artibonite, Esther and Salée rivers. Mangroves forests were also mentioned at Saint Marc l’Arcahaie, extending 15 km to the Bretelles river, as well as from the mouth of the Boucon Brou river mouth, after l’Arcahaie, up to the Croixdes-Bouquets region. Mangroves forests were also found at Port-au-Prince and at the Trou-Bordet River going towards Leogane, and up north towards Source Puante. The small island of Grand- Goave, at the mouth of the Tapion River, registered a low quantity, while the coast of St. Louis-du-Sud, the Cavaillon region, the extreme-South region of Baradere and the area of d’Aquin also had mangrove forests. The mangroves trees however have been cut down and used as lumber in construction and as firewood for domestic and industrial purposes (REPUBLIQUE D’HAITI, 1997). This exploitation began at the end of the 18 th century when mangroves were used as a source of fuel, for example, on the Arcadins coast (to the north of Port-au-Prince). Some species were used for the fabrication of curves for dinghies and row-boats, as well as in the construction of houses. In other regions, such as Leogane, they were cut down to make the area healthier or more attractive (Hatzenberger, 2001). The area occupied by mangrove forests in Haiti has been drastically reduced over the last decades, and data from FAO (2007) reveal this. The considerable decline in the country’s mangroves is explained in part by the difficult socioeconomic situation of the last decades, and also by the poverty and demographic increase. The table below shows the evolution of the area occupied by mangroves, reduced from 17,800 hectares to 13,000 hectares between 1980 and 2005. Table 19: Status and Trend in Mangroves in Haiti from 1980 to 2005 Most reliable estimate 1980 1990 1980-1990 Evolution 2000 1990-2000 Evolution 2005 2000-2005 Evolution ha Year of Reference ha ha ha % ha Ha % Ha ha % 15 000 1988 17,800 15,000 –280 –1.7 14,300 -70 –0.5 13,700 –120 –0.8 Source: FAO, 2007 : http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/a1427e/a1427e00.htm (Février 2009) Although not recent, the available data on Caracol, a town in the northern part of the country, follow the same trend as the overall situation in the country, showing the progressive disappearance of one of the largest remaining mangrove forests in Haiti (Figure 42). Unit A (Height: 8.08 m and diameter 29.8 cm) Unit A (Height: 5.13 m and diameter 21.3 cm) Unit A (Height: 2.37 m and diameter 11.6 cm) Figure 42: Evolution in the Surface Area of the Different Types of Mangrove at Caracol Bay Area (ha) 2000 1500 100 500 0 Source: UEH. 1994 1957 1978 1989 Period
State of the Environment Report 2010 A study conducted by the University of Moncton (2001) at Caracol and four other neighbouring sites (Bord-de-Mer de Limonde, Petite-Anse, Riviere Haut-du-Cap and River Salée) showed a reduction of approximately 43% of their mangrove areas, between 1978 and 1998. This situation is the result of an intensive use of mangroves in order to fulfil the energy needs of the population (coal and firewood), of intensive fishing activities and the conversion of the majority of these areas into residential areas. 2.3.2 Fishery Resources In the “Interim Cooperation Framework” (REPUBLIQUE D’HAITI, 2004), the underdevelopment of the fishing industry in Haiti is mentioned. Actually, despite the significant number of people (30,000) who dedicate themselves to fishing, methods have not been modernized, and are still carried out with traditional materials. Therefore, despite the existence of a territorial sea considered vast, the area within which the fishermen operate is limited to the coastal waters, and does not extend to the high seas. This has resulted, consequently, in under-fishing. According to the FAO list (1999), among the less-exploited species, are the white shrimp, bottom crab, octopus, groupers, tuna, the istiophorus albicans, and coryphenes, some found at great depths and others that are pelagic ocean resources. Nevertheless, the continental shelf, where most of the fishing takes place, has been depleted due to technical deficiencies and over-exploitation 35 . Moreover, other practices also encourage overfishing, for example, the use of chemical products, such as insecticides and other herbicides, which are believed to facilitate the catch of fish. However, according to FOPROBIM et al (2002), the law stipulates the conditions under which fishing activities in Haiti must be carried out. Nevertheless, “the lack of means to enforce it” contributes to a large extent to the situation. The following table, on the results of a study carried out by USAID in 2006, shows the absence of protected areas on the Haitian coastline, compared to other countries of the region, highlighting the situation of the continental shelf with respect to over-fishing (see the table below). 97 Table 20: Marine Protected Areas (MPA) in the Caribbean Region Country MPA Other Total Cuba 15 15 30 Dominican Republic 7 4 11 Jamaica 4 0 4 Haiti 0 0 0 Saint Lucia 2 1 3 Trinidad & Tobago 1 7 8 Barbados 1 1 2 Belize 2 0 2 Dominica 1 0 1 Bahamas 9 0 9 St Vincent and the Grenadines 1 0 1 Guadeloupe 1 0 1 Source: USAID 2006 35 www.fao.org
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