Haiti and Dominican Republic to jointly protect the environment

The year 2013 was declared as "the year of the environment" in Haiti. Deforestation and soil erosion are endemic in Haiti. The poorest in the Americas, routinely cut down trees for fuel. To sustain growth and development and end its cycles of poverty Haiti has converted its land permanently from forest uses to non-forest purposes. The huge coastline of Haiti makes it highly vulnerable to hurricanes. During the rainy seasons, landslide becomes a major concern. Thick vegetation is needed to keep the soil intact.

Many reforestation efforts have failed because appropriate trees were not planted on the nutrient deficient soil which can revitalize the environment. Further no proper incentive was provided to the people responsible for their maintenance. One of the main reasons of deforestation in Haiti is soil erosion. Every year an estimated 61 square miles or 15,000 acres of topsoil are washed away. The soil erosion further affects other productive infrastructures like roads, dams, irrigation system and ecosystem in the marine coastal area; it also hampers the productivity of the soil. The signatories of the agreement have acknowledged the necessity of joint work to protect biodiversity and reduce the island's environmental degradation and achieve island's sustainable economic development.

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Read more: Dominican Republic, Environment, Deforestation, Hispaniola, Energy Environment

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