Once a heavily forested island, Haiti is now unrecognizable. It is a land of bald hills and dry soil. New research focuses on changes in land use, rather than charcoal production, as the leading cause of deforestation to help formulate effective land use policy.

The name “Haiti” or “Ayiti” is derived from the Indigenous Arawak word “Ayti”, meaning ”mountainous land”. Considered one of the most deforested countries in the world, Haiti maintains relatively high levels of biodiversity compared to other Caribbean nations. Though a mind-blowing paradox, this is attributable to several microclimates that are home to a majority of the island’s biodiversity (or number of inhabiting species) due to their guarded status as “mostly protected zones”.

Haitian-Dominican border on Hispaniola showing disparity in forest cover (Source: Singing Rooster News)

In a recent study published in PeerJ, researchers Ose Pauleus and T. Mitchell Aide found that previous data collected on forest-cover in Haiti were inaccurate. Due to varying classifications of “forest”, past research presented by the Global Forest Watch, the United States Agency for International Development, and other organizations, estimated drastically different deforestation rates varying between <1% to 33%. Without accurate and consistent assessment methods, it is difficult to create effective policies. 

In contrast, this study found that between 2000 and 2015, forest cover decreased from 26% to 21% while agriculture land cover increased from 39.7% to 47.9%. Pauleus and Aide collected separate unbiased satellite imagery data to produce these figures because data from corrupt government reports can be inaccurate and misleading. Previously, charcoal production was believed to be the major cause of deforestation in Haiti. But according to land use maps produced from the study, much of previously forested land has changed to agriculture/pasture, shrub land, and plantation — this is most noticeable along the southern peninsula near the Pic Macaya National Park and the La Visite National Park, two mostly protected areas preserving biodiversity. Mapping these terrestrial changes over time has provided statistical evidence to better inform Haitian policies.

Land-use changes (Source: PeerJ)

It is important to understand the historical context that has depleted so much of Haiti’s forests because environmental degradation poses a fundamental threat to ecosystem sustainability, environmental and population health, and ultimately, the ability of Haitians to provide for themselves. 

Haitian Revolution (Source: ThoughtCo.)

The dense native tropical forests and mountainous landscape were instrumental to the self-liberation of the Haitian slaves. So why does this country suffer from deforestation today? Dating back to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, the Spanish (1492), the French (17th Century), and the United States (1930’s) occupations each robbed Haiti of the majority of its original forest landscape. Some main causes include a crusade against Haitian religious beliefs in efforts to force conversion and submission, and secondly, the exploitation of timber resources to fund wars and plantation slavery. Haitians have long held spiritual relationships to specific trees, such as the mapou, which connected them to their ancestral lineage. As recently as 1941, the Catholic Church led an “anti-superstition” campaign and pillaged mapou populations. During the same time period in the 1940’s, over 50,000 acres and millions of fruit trees were destroyed to plant rubber trees to contribute to the American war effort.

This historical religious and environmental violence has left Haiti with some of the highest levels of environmental catastrophes and government instability to date, including a lack of investment in alternative energy resources. Haitians rely heavily on wood charcoal as fuel for cooking. As a result, many varieties of trees are utilized and often cut down illegally as a means for survival and income.

What often goes unconsidered during mass deforestation is that without trees, there are not sufficient root systems holding soil in place or absorbing and retaining large quantities of water. Under these conditions, soil erosion persists during the rainy season when torrential rains wash away loose topsoil. Losing topsoil increases the probability of landslides and deadly floods, especially on mountainous terrain. Ultimately, losing trees will result in less soil and difficulties with land uses including agriculture. Government intervention can play a key role in repopulating forests.

The authors suggest that future funding efforts in Haiti should focus on land management and effective environmental policy and enforcement to reduce deforestation and promote well-planned reforestation. They propose that a long-term land cover management institute, supported both nationally and internationally, would help to better understand the landscape. Environmental education programs and community led reforestation efforts like Codep and the Eden Project, continue to make strides in restoring Haiti’s forests.

Thinking about the political and economic dimensions of past and current Haitian society, it is imperative that international involvement not be self-serving, but rather, prioritizes the well-being of the Haitian people. There must be more solidarity-based international relationships with Haiti. The cyclical and manipulative abuse of power has impoverished the nation for far too long. It is time this historical nation that inspired and aided in liberation movements around the world revives its former dignity and self-sufficiency by reclaiming the forests that are embedded in its cultural identity and were instrumental to historical survival.