Haiti isn't a place most of us consider when planning our next dive vacation, but thanks to a dedicated group of volunteers, it could soon become a haven for reef life. Here, we'll take a look at the ongoing battle to protect and preserve the endangered coral reefs that lie just off Haiti's coast.
Saving a Reef, One Step at a Time
In Haiti, environmental degradation is a common theme. In sharp contrast with the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola, Haiti has suffered deforestation, massive erosion, and widespread pollution. These problems have come together to cause the nation's residents to suffer, and to cause major reef decline. Overfishing and unsustainable fishing practices have caused a near collapse of the marine ecosystem in the waters off Haiti's coastline. Though difficult to believe, the dying reefs here were once teeming with life; during the 1970's and 1980's, Haiti attracted divers from all over the world.
Now, Reef Check, an organization coordinating efforts to save coral reefs worldwide, is helping Haitians take back their reefs. A few months after the earthquake that devastated Port au Prince in 2010, volunteers came to Haiti with the intent of checking the reefs for damage. Instead of finding an underwater landscape altered by seismic activity, they found dead coral that stretched as far as the eye could see. Reef Check estimates that approximately 85% of Haiti's reef has died.
Not only is this bad news for the environment, it spells disaster for Haitian people. In Haiti, more than 50,000 fishermen rely on the ocean for survival. Once substantial populations of snappers and Nassau groupers have all but disappeared, causing the fishermen to target reef fish instead. When these smaller fish were speared and netted out of existence, algae accumulated and the coral suffocated to death. Haiti's reef fish are almost gone, and the reefs have become an underwater wasteland.
Thought Haiti has the second longest coastline of all countries in the Caribbean, it is the only one without marine protected areas. Reef Check has surveyed the reefs, and is helping the Haitian government to make plans for marine parks where fishing will be prohibited, all in a bid to allow fish to reproduce, feed, and grow. The challenge is a substantial one - there are no existing marine biology programs in schools, and before Reef Check stepped in, Haiti had no marine ecology programs in place.
Haiti's government had all but thrown up its hands with respect to enforcing fishing regulations, as people who are hungry will do whatever it takes to feed themselves and their families. But with the help of Reef Check, Haitians are beginning to see that fishermen can become the reef's strongest supporters. Using simple educational tools and teaching people to swim and snorkel, the organization is helping Haiti to map its reefs and survey crucial fish species. As people gain understanding, they are becoming more invested in seeing the reefs return to health - and in seeing the fish they depend on for their livelihoods return, too.