Name of Project:
Haiti - Environmentally Sound Marine Transportation Initiative
Summary:
This project is to encourage and support construction and development of maritime infrastructures, and to provide a better interface between surface and marine modes of transport. Our utmost goal is to create a practical and effective mechanism to involve private industry, governments, non-governmental organizations, academia and a variety of institutions in supporting environmentally sound marine transportation in the southern part of Haiti. There is a need to stimulate the development of marine transportation in Haiti and ensure that shippers have access to a competitive network of port and national facilities. Our plan is to promote the benefits of marine transportation in terms of sustainable development and improve the sector’s environmental performance. We look forward to revitalizing marine transportation to ensure complementarity with other modes of transport. We want to foster the growth of maritime activities. We recognize that vessels of all types and sizes yield important benefits to the region of the department of Grand’Anse through the generation of tourism and providing the means for the import and export of goods. The objective of this project is to support the promotion of marine transportation and tourism as well as sustainable development in the marine transportation sector. Marine transportation will become an integral component of the Haitian transportation system. It is essential to the nation’s economy. International trade will triple via the ocean. Accordingly, the entire Haitian transportation infrastructure, including ports and waterways, must be able to handle this projected increase. The nation needs to plan for and manage future growth of marine transportation on its waterways. The air, rail, and highways systems are inadequate in Haiti. Marine transportation is one of the more important uses of the ocean. The importance of waterways is crucial in the economic development of Haiti. In many cases, as in international commerce, there is no alternative to moving goods by water. Thus, formal coordination and planning of marine transportation infrastructure improvements are needed as competition for use of the waterways and vessel size and complexity increase. Increasing the efficient use of waterways has additional economic and environmental benefits. The marine transportation system can relieve congestion in other transportation modes. Technological advances offer opportunities to counter the challenges that increasing trade and the continued growth in the length, width, and draft of ships present for the nation’s economy, environment, and port communities. In combination with computer and communication technology to integrate and deliver the data to mariners, the following advances will significantly reduce the risk of serious accidents. Haiti will be increasingly enjoying the benefits of growing international trade as trade barriers are eliminated. Domestic shipping will include commerce from the Northern to the Southern part of Haiti. Predicted growth in national and international waterborne commerce will increase the demands on Haitian ports’ infrastructure and the entire transportation system. The infrastructure of Haitian ports is critical for national economic health. Ports must be able to accommodate the larger vessels coming into service. Ports must also upgrade cargo-handling equipment and operational procedures to increase the speed and volume of cargo throughput. In addition to the growth in trade, environmental concerns and a need to relieve road congestion, a sound marine transportation management will drive coastwise expansion of markets for movement of freight and passengers.
Name of Project:
Ansed'Hainault (Haiti): Integrated Watershed Management Initiative
Summary:
Residents of Ansed’Hainault are faced with an increasing number of challenges related to water resources. These challenges include limited water supplies to meet current and future needs and water quality degradation. There is a need to outline the general process, and actions necessary to effectively manage water resources. The quality of the water in Ansed’Hainault is a major problem. Human activities affect both surface ground and water quality. By developing the Watershed Management Project, our utmost goal is to bring together all people from Ansed’Hainault and other areas in the southern part of Haiti to create plans for protecting water supplies, water conservation and restoring fish habitat. The Watershed approach will allows us to work with stakeholders to develop an inventory of issues, a priority system and consensus strategies for implementation of solutions. To implement this watershed approach, we will use various tools, including protection, planning and education. The purpose is to develop an integrated approach that satisfies all stakeholders. Located in the southern part of Haiti, Ansed’Hainault is well-known for its marvelous beaches. This project will address activities impacting the watershed such as agriculture, forestry and wastewater treatment. Once the final plan is approved, state and local governments will be responsible for implementing the plan. Representatives of national and international organizations will coordinate specific areas of work, such as water quantity and water quality. The teams will be generally made up of representatives from various organizations. Once the final plan is approved, state and local governments shall be responsible for implementing the plan.
Name of Project:
The southern part of Haiti and a strategic approach to develop tourism.
Summary:
The southern part of Haiti is well-known for its marvelous beaches. Explore another world where you can tour or take a daylong excursion. The southern part of Haiti is equally captivating with its diverse cultures and architecture. Multiple cities offer an incredible array of activities plus a multitude of entertainment options. You can explore your favorite destinations from a new perspective. Discover cities like Anased’Hainault, Jeremie, Dame-Marie and Abricot. With land and sea adventures, the southern part of Haiti offers the opportunity to take vacation to another level with the freedom of personal choice. There is no doubt, sustainable tourism will act as a catalyst for conservation and improvement of the environment and maintenance of local diversity and culture. Specific areas that may be identified may include community tourism, destination management, guidelines for tour operations, the education for tourists and the environment management of hotels. Travelers not only learn about the destination, they learn how to help sustain its character while deepening their own travel experiences. Residents learn that the ordinary and familiar may be of interest and value to outsiders. Destination-savvy travelers seek out businesses that emphasize the character of the locale in terms of architecture, cuisine, heritage, aesthetics, and ecology. Tourism revenues in turn raise local perceived value of those assets. Tourism can contribute to development, which is economically and socially sustainable. The city of Ansed’Hainault can offer the opportunity to enjoy and appreciate the local culture and the natural environment. Tourism can play a positive part in increasing consumer commitment to sustainable development principles through its unparalleled consumer distribution channels. Foreign visitors will learn about and observe local etiquette, including using at least a few courtesy words in the local language. Residents will learn how to deal with foreign expectations that may differ from their own. This project is to provide a wide range of infrastructure services, including airport, air navigation, roads and ports as well as basic infrastructure services required by hotels, restaurants, shops and recreation facilities. The goal of the project is to generate a combination of tourism and good infrastructure that underpins the economic, environmental and social benefits. Good infrastructure will be a key factor in the industry’s ability to manage visitor flow. Tourism will create jobs and wealth and will have tremendous potential to contribute to economically, environmentally and socially sustainable development of the city of Ansed’Hainault and the entire state.
Name of Project:
Haiti: A Marine Ecosystem approach, ensuring a long-term productivity and sustainability of the environment
Summary:
In the southern part of Haiti, many marine fisheries have declined in recent years. Many places where fish or shellfish are caught have been diminished considerably. The industry of catching, processing fish or shellfish is in disarray. The legal right to fish in certain waters or at certain times is out of control. The causes of these declines are complex and include habitat alteration and loss, pollution, and natural environmental change. We are increasing called upon to address the potential direct impact of fisheries on values and services the ocean provides. In this project, we are using an Ecosystem-based management approach to improve species management, to ensure sustainable fisheries and, more importantly, to promote a healthy marine environment. By using an ecosystem-based management approach, our utmost goal is to address the relationships among living marine resources and the ecosystem within which they exist. We are fully aware that successful implementation of ecosystem-based management will require consideration of, among other things, habitat requirements, environmental and climate changes and biological processes. In Haiti, humans, too, are part of the ecosystem. Therefore, information on human influences and impacts will be included in our ecosystem research and management effort. We look forward to implementing economically and socially efficient management programs. These programs will facilitate the industry to apply the appropriate level of capital investment. The project will emphasize the economically disastrous side effects of the poor ecosystem-based management in Haiti and the safety of fisherman at sea. The emphasis will be placed on what new information is required and on how to effectively apply existing information. Both science and management processes are evolving, we will stay abreast of new scientific, cultural, economic, and institutional information. The Haitian legislative and institutional framework that currently governs the resource management’s decision-making constitutes a real challenge. We are fully aware of this fact. We have the passion to succeed. Most importantly, we are willing and ready to work hard in order to meet this challenging task. We will welcome the appropriate involvement of all stakeholders in the decision making process. We plan to work closely with the National Research Council's Ocean Studies Board, including the Committee on Ecosystem Management for Sustainable Marine Fisheries (Committee) to assess the current state of fisheries resources and to evaluate the implications of fishery activities for ecosystem structure and function. To provide expert guidance on how to incorporate an ecosystem approach in Haiti, we are planning on working with individuals with expertise in the structure and biological characteristics of ecosystems. We, also, will interact with representatives from the fishing industry. The concept of ecosystem-based fishery management is gaining momentum. We will focus our genuine efforts on developing pragmatic recommendations to incorporate ecosystem approaches into the existing framework of the Haitian fisheries system. In addition, we will generate guidelines for implementation of our recommendations. I look forward to working with all stakeholders to make a substantial progress in this area.