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Saving unique biodiversity in Haiti

2^nd March 2010

Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust has worked with its partners BirdLife International and the Zoological Society of London to secure funding from Defra’s Darwin Initiative in support of vital conservation action to prevent the extinction of Haiti’s unique biodiversity.

Haiti's forests support an incredible diversity of endemic animals. However, only 3% of these forests remain and are being lost at a rate of 10% every five years, with the result that many species are globally threatened or even possibly extinct. The Massif de la Hotte is a mountainous area in south-westernmost Haiti, and is one of the few areas still retaining forest cover, albeit reduced to a patchwork of remnants within the Macaya National Park. These forests represent one of the most important places in the world for the conservation of threatened vertebrates – 42 globally threatened mammals birds, reptiles and amphibians occur there.

The Massif de la Hotte's biodiversity faces multiple threats including unsustainable use of forest products and habitat clearance for agriculture. BirdLife is already working with Haitian partners Société Audubon Haïti and Fondation Macaya to improve the livelihoods of people in the communities around Macaya National Park, and thereby reduce pressures on the forests. These communities rely on the ecosystem services that the forests provide, including fresh water and firewood, or the prevention of landslides and flooding. It is the maintenance and improvement of these services, and increasing the resilience of the forests to the effects of global climate change, that lie at the heart of an integrated approach to conservation in the massif. 

Durrell’s Head of Conservation Science, Dr Richard Young, will be providing technical advice and support to UK and Haitian project partners for the assessment of biodiversity in the Massif de la Hotte in order to prioritise and design further conservation actions. He says, “the remaining forests of the Massif de la Hotte provide local human communities with essential services as well as supporting a huge number of globally threatened vertebrate species, many of which are found no where else on earth. It is one of the most important places in the world for endangered species conservation and action is desperately needed.”

The devastating 12th January 2010 earthquake had no immediate material impact within the Massif de la Hotte. However, the aftermath is starting to be felt with people fleeing Port-au-Prince to find refuge in the remote communities around the Macaya National Park.

The Darwin Initiative funding comes at a critical time to help work towards accommodating earthquake victims in the communities around Macaya, and ensure a sustainable future for the people and the area’s unique wildlife.

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