The Ministry of the Environment (MDE), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Heifer International Haiti, with the financial support of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), presented this week the project "Improving flows of ecosystem services in the biologically rich watersheds of the southern region of Haiti" from a perspective of sustainable development.

This 6-year project aims to strengthen the environmental governance of the ecosystems and watersheds of Aquin/Saint-Louis-du-Sud, Cavaillon, Les Cayes, Tiburon/Port-Salut as well as the watershed of Corail/Anse-à-Veau, shared between the departments of Grand'Anse and Nippes. It will take a watershed approach to foster biodiversity conservation, land management and improved ecosystem services, with a focus on improving agricultural practices and strengthening selected value chains. It will integrate biodiversity conservation measures into watershed management.

The Minister of the Environment Mr. James CADET, welcomed the innovative partnership concluded around this project will contribute, he continues, not only to strengthen, in the long term, the legal and institutional framework of Haiti for the protection of biodiversity but will also promote continued integration of biodiversity concerns into future projects and initiatives across the country, he concluded.

The project also aims to promote the production of high value agricultural commodities such as coffee, cocoa and mangoes on small plots of land using the "Jaden lakou" agroforestry system. This will contribute both to the establishment of income-generating activities and to the restoration of biodiversity.

Nick René Hartmann, the UNDP Resident Representative in Haiti said "As the impacts of climate change become a major concern for all species on the planet, it becomes necessary to take the right actions now. UNDP is happy to use its expertise to support the production of safe and reliable data that can help make better decisions in favor of natural ecosystems."

Dr. Hervil Cherubin, Representative of Heifer in Haiti, presented Haiti as a "Hotspot" of biodiversity well known for its climatic, geographical and topographical characteristics. Key biodiversity areas of this terroir, such as the Macaya National Park in the Massif de la Hotte, he explains, are, among other things, generators of the livelihoods of small farming communities, specifying "A multi-criteria approach was used to select target watersheds for project intervention. These are the comparatively higher levels of biodiversity and consequent degradation leading to localized risks, the level of threats to the region's biodiversity and associated habitats, and the presence of grassroots initiatives and demand of the community for interventions."

HL/ HaitiLibre