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Coasts at Risk

Improving the climate-resilience of low-elevation coastal zones in Haiti

March 24^th, 2015

See today, but remember tomorrow

In Haiti there is a Creole proverb, “Wè jodi a men sonje demen.” Literally translated this proverb means, “See today, but remember tomorrow”; Haitians also understand the idiomatic expression as an exhortation to live in the present, but plan for the future.

This sentiment underlies the project centred on improving Haiti’s ability to adapt to increasing climate change related impacts in coastal areas. The combination of environmental destruction, extreme poverty and rapid population growth raise the risk of new challenges in the island republic.

According to a 2015 climate vulnerability index, Haiti has been ranked the 6th most vulnerable country in the world to climate change. Anticipated increases in sea levels and sea surface temperatures, as well as a higher frequency of natural related disasters (droughts, floods, and hurricanes), are likely to cause increased beach erosion, salinization of fresh water aquifers and estuaries, coastal erosion, and increased coral reef bleaching throughout the island. This poses a serious threat to the socioeconomic development and well-being of Haiti’s ever-growing coastal populations.

With the second longest coastline of any country in the Antilles, and with a high concentration of populations settled in vulnerable coastal zones, Haiti‘s National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) identified sustainable coastal development as a top priority. The NAPA identified particularly vulnerable regions and sectors and proposed measures needed to adapt and strengthen resilience.

Strengthening Adaptive Capacities of Coastal Communities

A NATIONAL PRIORITY

Championed by the Government of Haiti and supported by UNDP, the project, “Strengthening Adaptive Capacities to Address Climate Change Threats on Sustainable Development Strategies for Coastal Communities in Haiti”, was designed to implement these vital measures. With funding from the Global Environmental Facility’s Least Developed Countries Fund, the government of Canada has provided additional funds to scale up and replicate successful approaches in the south and southeast regions of the country.

The objectives of the project include strengthening food security of local farmers, enhancing watershed management in the face of climate change, and reforestation of mangroves and forests to protect against climate induced hazards, erosion, and sea level rise. The project demonstrates that ecosystem management and biodiversity conservation can play a key role in reducing human and natural vulnerability to the multiple threats of climate change.

Key activities include: capacity building to maintain economic and ecological safety nets as coping mechanisms during climate change events; adaptation measures implemented in the agriculture, forest and water management sectors in coastal areas to reduce vulnerability and maintain ecosystem services; and knowledge sharing across different development actors: Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, civil society (international and local NGOs) and local populations living in coastal areas.

The ladies are members of the Mombin watershed committee responsible for the management of the Mombin Village nursery.

Increasing adaptive capacity & improving the resilience of food production

APPLYING AN EFFECTIVE APPROACH

To address issues of food security and food sovereignty, the project supports farmers to develop individualised farming plans, starting with an analysis of family needs, as well as of the vulnerabilities, problems, and opportunities presented at each farm. Once this analysis has been done, the farmer (supported by a project facilitator) produces a vision of what he or she wants to achieve on their farm in the next three to five years.

Technical specialists work with each farmer to identify the steps and resources needed to reach that vision. These plans are then implemented by the farmers with technical training and guidance support from the NGO staff. This covers issues such as planting new types of vegetables to diversify crops; building stalls for livestock to keep them healthy and protect crops; making compost from farm waste; introducing new planting techniques that avoid erosion and use water more efficiently, and establishing tree and plant nurseries.

Watershed Management

WATER COMMITTEES FIGHTING RESOURCE DEGRADATION

Project activities also focus on enhancing watershed management in the southern region. This helps to address issues of soil degradation and erosion, limited water availability, sustainable natural resource management, and vulnerability to extreme climate-induced events.

Watershed management committees have been established in the Hydrographic Unit of Aquin/St Louis du Sud, and will be expanded to other areas (starting with the Hydrographic Unit of Tiburon/Port Salud) under the Canada-funded project. The committees currently support ongoing activities under the projects, particularly related to raising awareness of local populations on climate and environment-related issues, and coordinating reforestation activities in the field that will help local communities to better adapt to climate change impacts.

Currently, the main role of the committees is to raise the awareness of local populations about the importance of mangroves ecosystems for the resilience of local communities. The committees have been trained by the staff of Ministry of Environment (Southern Department) on how to speak publicly on subjects such as ‘what is climate change’, ‘protecting forests and mangroves ecosystems as climate change adaptation strategy’, etc. The committees regularly visit local schools and churches. They also visit families individually in order to discuss in the above topics in detail. Finally, they patrol the mangrove ecosystems of the area in order to deter the cutting of mangroves.

Watershed management committee of the coastal watersheds of Ilet and Mesle, inaugurating their refurbished office.

Ecosystems and Education

PAIRING PLANTING WITH EDUCATION AND TRAINING

As part of the effort to raise awareness of local populations to climate change, the first Haitian Centre for Environmental Education has been established in Aquin city. Inaugurated by the president on 5 June 2014 (World Environment Day), the Education Centre is the first of its type in Haiti. With more than 1,200 visitors since the opening in 2014, the centre hosts programs for local schools, tours, and visitors to learn about the value of surrounding ecosystems; the science and impact of climate change; and different adaptation strategies.

To support these activities, the project has trained 6 guides to discuss with visitors the information that is displayed in the centre. Outside of the centre, there is a nursery with mangroves, and there are discussions with visitors on the importance of mangrove and forest protection and management and on how to develop alternative economic activities that use healthy mangrove ecosystems in an environmentally sustainable way.

The Education Centre also functions as the first host of the plant nurseries, where people from surrounding communities care for seeds until they are ready for planting in the nearby forests.

Haitian Centre for Environmental Education, Aquin City.

Taking Back the Coast

PLANTING MANGROVES AND SECURING A MORE RESILIENT COASTLINE

Finally, the project is also engaged in reforestation of both mangroves and surrounding forests. Reforestation efforts under the project include the planting of 2.5 million trees (80% wood trees and 20% fruit trees) that will be used to reforest 2,500 Ha of the hydrographic Unit of Aquin /St Louis du Sud (in the Southern Department of Haiti).

The nursery of Mombin will produce 300,000 plants: cedar, citric, coffee, acacia, cashew, and more. In the Mombin watershed, there are 4 water sources that - due to climate change but also to bad agricultural practices and deforestation - are delivering less and less water. The plots that will be reforested with these trees will be situated around the water sources, with the aim to increase the amount of rain water that goes into aquifers, and decrease erosion, floods, and landslides.

This will have a direct impact in the well-being and socioeconomic development of surrounding populations. 150 hectares of mangroves will also be planted this year around Aquin City. This reforestation will help protect against climate-induced extreme events, like storms or sea level rise, challenges of erosion, and water management. The areas for reforestation have been selected based on extensive GIS maps, identifying priority vulnerable areas in the region. The maps have been developed by the Ministry of Environment in the region, with support from UNDP.

The mangroves ecosystem we are trying to reforest are very important to guarantee the resilience of the city of Aquin to climate change. They reduce coastal erosion (waves and hurricanes). They support the reproduction of fishes (fishing is a very important economic activity in Aquin).They reduce sea water turbidity that endangers the survival of coral ecosystems which are home to fish juveniles.

Since the mangroves are home to a variety of birds, reptiles, fishes and plants they protect the biodiversity of the area. They stop sea waves from entering into the land, thereby protecting the coastal aquifers and ensuring that fertile land is not salinized. …These mangroves support a lot of pressure from the local population that cut them to use the wood as fuel (charcoal), to produce brooms and also to liberate space to build houses (some of the mangroves are in the expansion area of the city).

Enhancing Ecosystems Resilience

DEMONSTRATED SUCCESS

The project is the first of its kind in Haiti, and contributes to the achievement of Haiti’s overall development goals at the country level (including food and water security), by maintaining ecosystems resilience.

To date, the project has succeeded in actively engaging different actors across central and local governments to ensure sustainable development by addressing climate change threats. The project has provided regular institutional capacity-building support to the Ministry of Environment, Agriculture and Finance to integrate climate change adaptation measures in national policies and local development plans. Country-wide vulnerability and adaptation assessments for the water and agriculture sectors have been developed, and field studies were undertaken to determine the best adaptation measures to increase ecosystem resilience for water and food sectors in the southern Haiti, the most vulnerable region in the country.

The project is helping to reduce the vulnerability of local populations, while at the same time providing opportunities for economic development and poverty reduction in the Southern Department of Haiti.

As part of the Canada-UNDP Climate Change Adaptation Facility (CCAF), the project is aligned with the CCAF’s aims to strengthen climate-resilient approaches to agriculture and water management, with an emphasis on gender-sensitive approaches. The Facility, supported by the Government of Canada, works to document results and share experiences between the Canada-UNDP portfolio of projects in Cambodia, Cape Verde, Haiti, Mali, Niger and Sudan, which all scale up or extend projects previously supported by the Global Environment Facility’s Least Developed Countries Fund.