GEO Haiti 2010

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GEO HAITI • 2010 98 Fishery resources are therefore in a significant state of degradation and are not being replenished. Similarly, species such as the manatee, sea turtle, flamingos, sharks and dolphins, which are protected internationally, are threatened Figure 43: Coral Reefs: Estimated Level of Threat in Haiti (REPUBLIQUE D’HAITI, 2004). Wargny (op. cit.) states that species protected elsewhere, such as some shellfish, are openly captured in Haiti, even if “they are regarded as the least well-known in the Caribbean (BOUCHON, op. cit.)”. Source: WRI, 2005 Finally, the behaviours in relation to the sea and coastal areas of Haiti lead to a scarcity of fishery resources and to the impossibility of using certain beaches. Over the last few years, the catches from commercial fishing activities have declined in spite of a gradual increase in the number of persons involved. The most acceptable hypothesis for explaining the reduction of catches is the scarcity of resources given the lack of respect for regulations, and of catches exceeding the ecosystem replenishing capacity. Actually and according to FAO (2002), the national fishery production is estimated to be approximately 8,000 metric tons/year, distributed as follows: Table 21: Catch Profile Species Caught Production in tons Dermersal and shore fish 3,000 Coastal pelagic 1,200 Ocean pelagic 1,500 Crustaceans (shrimp, lobster, crab) 2,000 Conch 300 Total 8,000 Source: (FAO, 2005)
State of the Environment Report 2010 2.3.3 Coastal Occupation The urban fabric of Haiti has expanded at a sustained pace over the last decades as a result of the acceleration of demographic growth and rural exodus. Nevertheless, this expansion occurred without the adequate planning or the implementation of essential urban services. The figures below show the distribution of dwellings (in grey), in particular the shantytowns which constitute large agglomerations along the coastline of Port-au-Prince. These areas are severely degraded and bereft of vegetation, unlike others (in red), which still are covered by vegetation. It should be pointed out that, prior to the 1980’s, shantytowns were almost nonexistent in coastal areas (As in the case of Cité de l’Eternel in Annex 3). Figure 44: Distribution of Dwellings on the Port-au- Prince Coastal Strip in 2007 Cité de l’Eternel Shantytown Source: CATHALAC (2008) Waste management and illegal occupation of the coastal-marine environment by human settlements have rapidly created major problems in the urban areas of Haiti. Most cities in Haiti are located on the coast and this worsens the anthropogenic pressures on it. 2.3.4 Sedimentation Over the last decades, soil erosion caused by deforestation has intensified. All kinds of sediments carried down by rainfall end up on the coast. A study carried out by UNDP in 1995 estimated that since 1958, 7.9 million m 3 of sediment load has ended up in the Port-au-Prince bay alone (Haiti Eco-Net, 1995). The presence of these sediments in the coastal ecosystems contributes to the imbalance in the marine biological diversity. Some researchers attribute to this “coastal hyper-sedimentation, the necrosis of the coral platura, the progressive fossilization of the sea grass, and the scarcity of filtering organisms which migrate to less turbid areas (Saffache, 2006)”. 2.3.5 Emptying of Fuel Tanks The problem of the emptying of fuel tanks into the territorial waters of Haiti is little-known and not well-documented. Some state that the situation is serious however without providing concrete evidence (Holly, op. cit.; Wargny 2004). In fact, the territorial waters of Haiti have been poorly monitored during the past decade, because the relevant authorities, responsible of the issue, have been dismantled. 2.4 Impact on Ecosystems The coastal and marine areas of Haiti, which are receptacles for all land-based waste and under all kinds of pressures, particularly from fishermen and other poachers, suffer greatly from human activities. These areas, thus modified, become unsanitary. The “sewer” management pattern and the collective representation of the sea as a vast sewer, encourage the increasing contamination of the coastal and marine areas of Haiti. Information on the subject is lacking, as mentioned, and little research has been done However, the few existing investigations on the issue show a worrisome situation. Le Brun (2000) emphasized that these studies showed the presence of faecal bacteria such as coliforms in sea water and that close to the coasts. Others have pointed to the existence of all types of waste, mainly plastics (UNESCO, 1998) and to the presence of used oil residue (MOE-MPCE, 2004). 99
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