Haiti

América del Norte

143

Documented species

Parks and reserves

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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

Caribe (Antillas Mayores, isla La Española/Hispaniola)El Sistema Nacional de Areas Protegidas (SNAP) cubre el 4,5% del territorio, con 26 areas protegidas (11 marinas)

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

Mountain Grassland Freshwater Ocean