Abstract

Hope for Haiti's First Marine Protected Area
Track: Ocean, Coastal, and Marine Resources
Authors: Steve Schill

If conservation is going to succeed in Haiti, the southwest coast is a good place to start. This area harbors some of the most intact reefs and marine resources left in Haiti. GIS served as a critical tool to develop a multi-objective framework using baseline spatial information on coastal habitats and fisheries that were reviewed and verified through a community-led process. Model outputs provided the basis for developing a long-term sustainability plan, responding to local needs and pressures. This effort is part of a larger twenty-year multi-thematic program designed to address the underlying drivers of poverty and environmental degradation, while maintaining national ownership, private sector engagement and building the institutional capacity of the government and local partners. Ultimately, the hope is to create Haiti's first Marine Protected Area, strengthening the resilience of coastal communities and protect biodiversity, while effectively managing fisheries, tourism and recreational activities for the long term.