Conservation
Haiti has one of the highest rates of endemism in the world, meaning that many of the native plants and animals are only found in Haiti. Many of these species are not even found in the Dominican Republic.
Haiti has:
Over 5,000 species of flowering plants, 600 species of fern, and 300 species of orchid. Roughly 36 percent of all plants found in Haiti are endemic to Hispaniola.
2000 species of vertebrates (75 percent of which are endemic to Hispaniola), including:
236 bird species (73 of which are residents and one is endemic to Haiti alone)
217 species of reptiles and amphibians (98 percent are endemic to Hispaniola and a third are endemic to Haiti alone)
19 mammalian species (of which at least 8 are endemic to Hispaniola)
A very high number of invertebrates, many of which have not been recorded
Our goal is to reforest in ways that create habitat for native species, while being sustainably utilized by the community of Duchity. It is important to address conservation and community needs simultaneously because plants and animals have inherent intrinsic value, longevity of forest systems requires planting and supporting native species, and wildlife assist natural forest regeneration.
Why birds?
Bird conservation is of special interest to SRDH. In addition to their intrinsic value, birds are important for the following reasons:
Forest Health Indicator: Many bird species are extremely sensitive to environmental changes and degradation, so declines in bird populations can indicate a detrimental change in forest health which can be ascertained and mitigated before the issue continues unchecked for too long. Conversely, the return of a wide variety of forest birds to a reforested area can indicate that the forest is structurally sound and healthy. High bird diversity requires diverse plant species and different layers of forest, meaning that the forest needs to have a wide variety of species and vegetation from an understory herbaceous and shrub layer, to mid-story trees and shrubs, to tall canopy species. Since some forest brids require complex habitats, many other animal species of Haiti will benefit. Monitoring the return of birds will assist us in ascertaining the health of the forest, and managing the forest for birds will help us to create habitat for multiple different species.
Forest Pest Control: Many bird species eat herbivorous insects that live on trees, reducing pest load.
Seed Dispersal and Pollination: Birds act as seed dispersers and to a lesser extent, pollinators. Increased number and diversity of birds positively correlates with seed dispersal level. Far fewer studies have been done on the importance of birds with pollination, but birds have been found to contribute up to 15 percent of plant pollination on certain Oceanic islands.
Opportunities for Jobs, Revenue, and Recreation: By creating a monitoring program for birds, we can create additional job opportunities in the region. Eventually, our goal is to create an ecotourism center in Duchity to bring interested individuals, students, and researchers from communities across Haiti and the international community to Duchity to learn about our program and collaborate with us. Birding opportunities would provide an additional incentive for ecotourists and could provide an additional source of revenue to further fund our program and organization.
Ecological Monitoring Programs
We want to understand how our reforestation initiatives are improving Duchity’s environment. This includes:
Recording amount of land reforested
Implementing a Forest Health Monitoring Program
Conducting biological surveys and wildlife monitoring
Releasing reports and studies from our monitoring program findings
We are still in the process of developing these initiatives and partnerships, stay tuned for updates!