Haiti
América del Norte
Haiti occupies the western third of Hispaniola and is an intensely mountainous country, with two main ranges separated by the plain of the Artibonite. Its forest cover has been reduced to a minimal fraction by felling for charcoal and by farming pressure on very steep slopes, which has caused severe erosion. Even so, the La Hotte and La Selle massifs keep pine forests and relict cloud forests that hold an astonishing concentration of species found nowhere else, above all amphibians: those mountains rank among the places on the planet with the most threatened frog species per unit of area. The coast contributes mangroves, reefs and wetlands such as Trou Caïman.
The nature of Haiti
National animal: The Hispaniolan trogon, the country's national bird
Did you know?
The Hispaniolan solenodon is one of the very few venomous mammals in the world: it injects its toxin through a groove in the second lower incisor, a mechanism similar to that of a snake but in a small nocturnal insectivore with a flexible snout. Its lineage separated from the rest of the mammals more than seventy million years ago, so its ancestors were already living on the island when the asteroid that finished off the dinosaurs fell.
Biodiversity profile
Climate
- •Tropical con estacion seca (Aw), con zonas semiaridas en el noroeste y mas humedas en el sur montañoso
Main biomes
- •Bosque humedo de montaña (Massif de la Hotte, remanente critico)
- •Bosque seco
- •Ecosistemas semiaridos
- •Humedales costeros (deltas, estuarios, lagunas)
- •Bosque nublado de montaña
- •Pinar de altura
- •Bosque seco de tierras bajas
- •Manglar costero
- •Humedal salobre
- •Karst calizo
- •Arrecife de coral
Marine and coastal ecosystems
- •Manglares, estuarios, arrecifes de coral y praderas marinas a lo largo de la costa
Flagship wildlife
- •Solenodonte de La Española (mamifero primitivo endemico compartido con Republica Dominicana)
- •Rana verde espinosa (En Peligro Critico)
- •Cotorra de La Española
- •Trogón de La Española
- •Jutía de La Española
- •Manatí del Caribe
- •Cocodrilo americano
- •Iguana rinoceronte
- •Tortuga carey
- •Rana de Macaya
- •Flamenco americano
Notable endemic species
- •Aprox. 37% de las 5.000-5.600 especies de plantas vasculares estimadas son endemicas de Haiti
- •Segundo mayor centro de biodiversidad del Caribe tras Cuba, pese a su reducido tamaño y fuerte degradacion ambiental
- •Solenodonte de La Española, conocido en Haiti solo en el Massif de la Hotte
- •Solenodonte de La Española
- •Jutía de La Española
- •Rana de Macaya
- •Trogón de La Española
Notable threatened species
- •Rana verde espinosa (En Peligro Critico, Massif de la Hotte)
- •Solenodonte de La Española (En Peligro)
- •Massif de la Hotte identificado junto a Cockpit Country (Jamaica) como uno de los sitios con mayor numero de taxones globalmente amenazados del Caribe
Notable protected areas
- •Massif de la Hotte (area transfronteriza de importancia critica)
- •La Selle (608.816 ha, area transfronteriza con Republica Dominicana)
- •Parque Nacional Pic Macaya
- •Parque Nacional La Visite
- •Macizo de La Hotte
- •Humedal de Trou Caïman
- •Isla de la Tortuga
- •Parque Nacional de Tres Bahías
Main conservation threats
- •Degradacion ambiental generalizada y deforestacion historica severa
- •Datos de biodiversidad escasos y desactualizados segun fuentes internacionales
- •Corredor Biologico del Caribe establecido en 2007 junto con Republica Dominicana y Cuba para mitigar la perdida de biodiversidad
Conservation
The La Hotte massif is considered one of the most critical places in the world for amphibian conservation, with dozens of frog species that live nowhere else and that depend on a few square kilometres of forest. Charcoal production is the main driver of deforestation.
Where and when to watch wildlife
Pic Macaya and La Visite in the wet season for endemic amphibians. Trou Caïman between November and March for flamingos and waterbirds. The south coast for reefs and turtles.
Los propios informes internacionales señalan que los datos de biodiversidad de Haiti son escasos y desactualizados; se recomienda tratar las cifras con cautela.
Sources: Interactive Country Fiches (UNEP-GRID) - Biodiversity Haiti | Ecosystem Profile - Caribbean Islands Biodiversity Hotspot (CEPF) | Re:wild - Caribbean Endemics
Parks and reserves
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Especies documentadas en Haiti
143 species found
Critically EndangeredElkhorn Coral
Acropora palmata
Critically EndangeredStaghorn Coral
Acropora cervicornis
Critically EndangeredHawksbill Turtle
Eretmochelys imbricata
EndangeredGiant Manta
Mobula birostris
EndangeredCaribbean Reef Shark
Carcharhinus perezi
EndangeredGreen Turtle
Chelonia mydas
VulnerableSperm Whale
Physeter macrocephalus
VulnerableAmerican Crocodile
Crocodylus acutus
VulnerableLemon Shark
Negaprion brevirostris
VulnerableNurse Shark
Ginglymostoma cirratum
VulnerableLoggerhead Turtle
Caretta caretta
VulnerableLeatherback Sea Turtle
Dermochelys coriacea
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about Haiti.