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PORT-AU-PRINCE— Like much of Haiti’s southern peninsula, the area encompassing Macaya National Park has been devastated by faced the devastation of several natural disasters in recent years, including Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and athe powerful 8.2-magnitude earthquake in 2021. These catastrophic events, coupled with human activities, have severely impacted the park, destroying much of its unique fauna and flora. The challenge of preserving this natural treasure was further compounded by a fire at the beginning of 2023, highlighting the urgent need for concerted conservation efforts.
Despite these challenges, the park remains standing, thanks to the efforts of various environmental protection organizations. However, this haven, which shelters thousands of species, including hundreds found nowhere else on earth, requires more sustained attention from decision-makers.
Macaya National Park is one of the country’s two largest national parks and is considered one of the most biodiverse in the Caribbean. It serves as the water tower for the South and Grand’Anse departments and encompasses diverse ecosystems, including mountain forests, rivers, waterfalls, and karstic and volcanic formations.
“Macaya National Park is crucial for conserving Haitian flora and fauna, with some species threatened with extinction,” said Stevins Alexis, president of the Macaya Foundation for Local Development.
“From a biodiversity perspective, the Macaya Peak Park is one of Haiti’s greatest riches, and we will do everything to ensure that this source of wealth benefits the surrounding inhabitants without endangering life in the space,” Alexis, an environmentalist, told The Haitian Times.
Presentation of the park
Located within the Massif de la Hotte, Macaya National Park is between Macaya Peak (7,700 ft) and Formon Peak (7,280 ft) mountains. It was established by a decree from the Jean-Claude Duvalier government in 1983.
Initially covering 4,960 acres, a presidential decree expanded the park to over 21,640 acres in 2013 and renamed it Macaya National Natural Park. A subsequent decree in 2014 annexed more areas to the park. Including buffer zones, the park covers a total of over 201,921 acres, according to Haiti’s Ministry of the Environment and its partners.
UNESCO declared the park a ‘Biosphere Reserve’ in 2016. It spans two departments—South and Grand’Anse—and ten communes, serving as the water source for eight rivers. These include Les Anglais, Port-à-Piment, Acul, Torbeck, Ravine du Sud, Guinaudée, Voldrogue, and Roseaux rivers.
“Macaya National Park is crucial for conserving Haitian flora and fauna, with some species threatened with extinction.”
Stevins Alexis, President of Macaya Foundation for Local Development
The wealth of Macaya Peak
It’s a global biodiversity hotspot, home to many endemic species. According to official records, the park contains 141 varieties of orchids, 38 of which are endemic, 102 species of ferns with three endemic, nearly 100 species of moss, 367 varieties of flowering plants, 220 species of birds, 57 species of mollusks, and 11 species of butterflies, including the endemic calisto loxias. Six species of frogs, believed to be extinct, have been seen in the region in the past several years. Over 6,500 species of plants live at Macaya Peak.
The park also hosts two terrestrial mammal species endemic to the island, Plagiodontia Aedium and Solenodon Paradoxus. Endangered plants and animals, such as Ekman’s Magnolia and Tiburon’s Brook Frog, have been discovered there.
After the 2010 earthquake, experts from the Amphibian Specialist Group, led by Robin Moore, rediscovered amphibians at Macaya Park that had not been reported since 1991, including the “Mozart frog” (Eleutherodactylus amadeus), which emits a distinctive call.
Initiatives to protect the Macaya environment
Besides the government declaring the area a national park, which has not conferred greater protection to plants and animals, researchers and conservation groups have purchased land to create nature reserves.
Among several initiatives was the awareness campaign conducted by Blair Hedges, director of the Center for Biodiversity at Temple University in Philadephia, U.S., and his colleagues, and Haitian businessman Philippe Bayard, CEO of Sunrise Airways and president of the Société Audubon Haiti. Together, they worked to raise awareness about Haiti’s disappearing forests and species among the public, prompting the government to declare more national parks in the area.
However, Hedges’ 2018 study found that simply declaring national parks did not actually translate to on-the-ground protection of forests in Haiti. There was rapid deforestation inside the national parks, too.
To try out a different strategy, Hedges and Bayard founded the Haiti National Trust, a nonprofit that aims to preserve the country’s biodiversity. Since national parks in Haiti can be declared on entirely private land, Hedges and Bayard decided to purchase land and put together a private nature reserve that they could then manage and protect with the help of the local communities. To bring this to fruition, they partnered with conservation groups Global Wildlife Conservation and Rainforest Trust, who would help fund the purchase of private land and pay for the reserve’s management.
The Macaya Foundation for Local Development has also focused its efforts on protecting and restoring the area’s environment as a life and heritage reserve for present and future generations. It promotes income-generating activities and employment through local development initiatives, strengthens local governance, and fosters residents’ active participation.
The foundation also engages in training, consultation, reforestation, and awareness programs. Thousands of seedlings are planted each year through cultural events promoting sustainable development.
“The Macaya National Natural Park is the only area in the country where logging is prohibited and respected by residents,” the foundation’s president said. “Through our efforts, trees have been planted on 1,488 acres around the park, significantly increasing forest cover despite environmental challenges over the past eight years.”
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Macaya National Park: Haiti’s biodiverse treasure faces challenges was first posted on October 1, 2024 at 8:00 am.