Wildlife of Haiti

The wildlife of Haiti is important to the country because of its biodiversity. According to the World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Haiti is considered to be "one of the most biologically significant countries of the West Indies". With an estimated 5,600 plant species on the island of Hispaniola, some of which only occur in Haiti, 36% are considered as endemic to the island.^[1] A mountainous area country, it is situated in the western three-eighths of Hispaniola and shares a border with the Dominican Republic.^[2][3] There are nine life zones, from low desert to high cloud forests, as well as four mountain ranges, and hundreds of rivers and streams and the coral reefs in the seas that surround the islands.^[4][5] Issues of environmental damage, expanding population, deforesting and erosion are of concern;^[6] less than 2% of the original forest remains on account of deforestation.^[7] This degradation is traced from the 17th century to 19th century starting with the French colonization of the Haiti and population explosion during the 20th century and for the purpose of forestry and sugar-related industries, degraded the forests. and the environment.^[8][9]

Geography

The features of the island terrain (generally mountainous) varies from

The regions of extreme biodiversity in Haiti have been brought under legal law (under legal enactment of June 23, 1983) of protection and preservation of the ecology and the biodiversity of the identified areas. These regions are declared as national parks, and specifically the two large gazetted national parks are the

While the four national parks protect an area of 25,000 hectares (62,000 acres), there are proposals on the anvil to bring 18 more areas of the country under protective cover which encompass an area of another 23,000 hectares (57,000 acres).[16]

La Visite National Park

The Pic Macaya National Park, on the southern peninsula, which is 198 kilometres (123 mi) from Port-au-Prince and 36 kilometres (22 mi) to the northwest of Les Cayes, has a designated area of 5,500 hectares (14,000 acres) that includes a ravine formation located between the mountain peaks of Pic Formon (2,219 metres (7,280 ft)) and Pic Macaya (2,347 metres (7,700 ft)).^[14][15][18] The park receives an annual average rainfall of 4,000 millimetres (160 in). The Rivere Ravine Sud rises from these mountains and flows through the park. Karst limestone formations and agricultural areas are also part of the park. There are two major types of vegetation in the park – the wet forests on limestone formations (in an elevation range of 800-1200m), and the cloud forest combined with pine forest including endemic plant species. The largest broad leaf trees are of pine some of which are 45 metres (148 ft) in height.^[14][18] Detailed floristic surveys have recorded 470 species of tracheophytes, which include 367 species of anglosperms, 99 species of mosses, 63 species of liver worts. In addition, the vascular plant species reported are 136, of which 29% are endemic to Haiti.^[14] Orchids are also found in large numbers. Other wildlife consists of birds and amphibians which are mostly endemic. The most productive agricultural lands of the Plaine de Cayes are within the park area. The park has many trekking paths including to the mountain trek to peak Pic Macaya (2,347 metres (7,700 ft)).^[18]

Coral reefs

Left: Gorgonia ventalina (purple gorgonian seafan); right: Callyspongia plicifera (azure vase sponge)

Coral reefs in Haiti cover a stretch of 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) of coast. While it is assessed that the coral reefs are over exploited for fishing, with elkhorn coral put on the US Endangered Species List, the reef structure is stated to be stable and the living coral are generally occupy 10% of reefs, and algae and sponge cover about 50%. The fish habitat hosts Caribbean fish species and invertebrate species with the reef structure providing the needed habitat. Use of fish trap, fishing net, spear or line fisherman with their paddle or sailboats are a common sight along the coral reefs. In order to bring the fish yield from the coral reefs to the level of 35 tons per km² noted in other coral reef regions of the world, the MacArthur Foundation has initiated a project in Haiti to enhance fish production, from its present meager level, through a network of marine protected areas. The project also envisages inculcating knowledge to the Haitians on the economic potential and the need to also monitor the reefs.^[19]

Some of the underwater species are 35 species of hard

Left: Zanglais, Haiti; right: Melocactus lemairei

The ecoregions of Haiti include the

In the Massif de la Hotte alone there are 42 globally threatened mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians.[10] The coastal zone ecosystem has been fairly well preserved and has coral reefs, mangrove forests and estuaries. Coral reefs are not part of the national parks.^[1] There are 38 species under the threatened and endangered list and some of them may have been extirpated too. Of these, nearly 50% are endemic and threatened with extinction and three are critically threatened. The critically endangered species are black-capped petrel, Ridgway's hawk (also endemic), stygian owl, and western chat-tanager and eastern chat-tanager, both endemic.^[21]

Avifauna

BirdLife International has identified 10 Important Bird Areas in Haiti, which cover about 23,200 hectares (57,000 acres) (1% of land area of Haiti). Of these, five are located in the four protected areas system while the other five are yet to be initiated. The prominent near threatened species is the grey-crowned palm-tanager (Phaenicophilus poliocephalus).^[16] As of 2013, the bird species identified are 266 of which globally threatened are 14, 2 are endemic. and nine introduced species. The species which are critically threatened, near threatened, endangered and vulnerable category are the following.^[22] Hispaniolan trogon (Priotelus roseigaster) is endemic, near threatened according to Red List IUCN and is the national bird of Haiti.^[23][24]

Critically endangered

• Ridgway's hawk (Buteo ridgwayi)

Endangerered

• Bay-breasted cuckoo (Coccyzus rufigularis)
• La Selle thrush (Turdus swalesi)
• Hispaniolan crossbill (Loxia megaplaga)

Near-threatened

• Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus)
• Reddish egret (Egretta rufescens)
• Piping plover (Charadrius melodus)
• Semipalmated sandpiper (Calidris alba)
• Buff-breasted sandpiper (Tryngites subruficollis)
• White-crowned pigeon (Patagioenas leucocephala)
• Plain pigeon (Patagioenas inornata)
• Least pauraque
  (Siphonorhis brewsteri)
• Chimney swift (Chaetura pelagica)
• Hispaniolan trogon (Priotelus roseigaster)
• Palm crow
  (Corvus palmarum)
• Golden-winged warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera)
• Gray-crowned palm-tanager
  (Phaenicophilus poliocephalus)

Vulnerable

• West Indian whistling-duck
  (Dendrocygna arborea)
• Hispaniolan parakeet (Aratinga chloroptera)
• Hispaniolan parrot
  (Amazona ventralis)
• White-necked crow (Corvus leucognaphalus)
• Golden swallow
  (Tachycineta euchrysea)
• Bicknell's thrush (Catharus bicknelli)
• White-winged warbler (Xenoligea montana)

Reptiles

The American crocodile is reported at Etang Saumâtre.^[6] Caimans are also reported in the rivers in the southern part of the peninsula.^[9] Snake charming is an active trade in Haiti, and wild snakes are often hunted in the country.^[25]

Amphibians

Six species of amphibians (frogs) have been reported. These are:

A certain species of tree snail in Haiti can only survive on a specific type of tree in the country. Such snails, such as the candy-stripe tree snail, are "so admired for their beauty".[27]

See also

References