Embedded Files
Background
Background
Firstly, this is something of a cheat, because this rainforest is not actually in Haiti, it is in the Dominican Republic the country East of Haiti on the Island of Hispaniola.
Haiti has deforested much of it's land, whereas Dominican Republic has been keen to preserve its forests for the environmental and tourism benefits.
The rainforest is this example is one of the most stunning protected areas in the Caribbean: Los Haitises National Park. Where the karst mountains (more about that in A'Level) are covered in rainforest which runs down to pristine mangroves at the coast.
Los Haitises National Park is located on the remote northeast coast of the Dominican Republic and was established in 1976.
It consists of a limestone karst plateau with conical hills, sinkholes and caverns, and there is a large area of mangrove forest on the coast.
Other parts of the park are clad in subtropical humid forest and the area has an annual precipitation of about 2,000 mm.
The park contains a number of different habitats and consequently has a great diversity of mammals and birds, including some rare species endemic to the island, including the Hispaniolan solenodon an amazing mammal which existed alongside the dinosaurs and is venomous. Sadly it is also threatened with extinction.
Manatees and dolphins also visit the park’s waters regularly. In addition Los Haitises National Park is the main water source for the eastern region of the country.
Some of the caverns contain pictograms and petroglyphs. The park has become a popular ecotourism destination but the number of tourists allowed to visit is limited.
According to the Ministry of the Environment, 1.12 million travelers visited the country’s protected areas in 2016, and Los Haitises ranked among the most popular stops.
Use the button below to find out more about this amazing location.
Deforestation in Haiti
Deforestation in Haiti
Deforestation in Haiti is a severe but complex and often misunderstood environmental problem. Haitians produce and consume charcoal as their primary source of domestic energy. Several agencies and companies that produce solar cookers as an alternative to using wood and charcoal have been working in Haiti to establish solutions to the poverty and fuel issues, though their effectiveness and the degree to which they are used are questionable.
The rapid deforestation of Haiti began during the colonial and was intensified when coffee was introduced in 1730. Upland forests were cleared and fifty years later, a quarter of the colony's land was under coffee. The system of plantation monoculture of coffee, tobacco, and sugarcane exhausted soil nutrients and led to rapid erosion.
Following the Haitian revolution, the government was forced to export timber throughout the 19th century to pay off a 90 million franc indemnity to France for the "loss" equivalent to the 'value' of the formerly enslaved population. The timber installments had to be made for over a century to cover the original amount plus interest.
An estimated 15,000 acres of topsoil are washed away each year, with erosion also damaging other productive infrastructure such as dams, irrigation systems, roads, and coastal marine ecosystems. Soil erosion also lowers the productivity of the land, worsens droughts, and eventually leads to desertification, all of which increase the pressure on the remaining land and trees.
Page updated
Report abuse