User:Zr-gpp-1/Deforestation in Haiti

Article Draft: is this the sand box or what???? : "Deforestation and Mass Extinction in Haiti"

Article body

Experts believe there is only 1 percent of Haiti's primary forests left, with the rest having have been cut down mostly for charcoal production and agriculture. And although there hasn't been much data in Haiti about the species that existed in the forests before or after, through analyzing satellite imagery and aerial photography , experts have concluded that there will be a great mass extinction of species native to the Haitian forests. They were also able to confirm this through the observations the scientists made on the ground. Loss of the forests means loss of habitats for some species that cannot be found anywhere else on Earth. And although climate change catastrophes, hunting, and disease are also big threats to many species, the consensus is that the primary threat is deforestation. It has been found that the place where flora and fauna is surviving is at the mountaintops of Haiti, where it is harder for tree cutting to happen since it is high up in the mountains and difficult to access. Some of these endangered species include the Haiti magnolia (magnolia emarginata) , which the forests in which it was discovered in 1925 has now been destroyed. The original habitat forests where the magnolias have been found no longer exists due to deforestation. Besides plant species in danger there is also amphibians that are disappearing like the the frogs in Haiti where 92 percent of them are "critically endangered."

Currently there are a few remaining biodiverse "hotspots" where species are thriving and where the primary forests has not been cut down. Since the publication of Blair Hedges study in 2018, efforts have been made to preserve the few original forests remaining. Failed conservation efforts by the government of Haiti pushed for new strategies by non-profits: national parks to be bought and managed by private trust funds. Haiti National Trust, founded by Blair Hedges, is the first one to have bought a national park in order to start reforestation efforts, promote biodiversity, and reverse the effects of unregulated destruction of Haiti's forest environment. One critique of this approach was brought up by Zach Fitzner : " Is the creation of a nature reserve financed by wealthy Haitians and non-profits managed by outsiders just a form of colonialism or is it in the best interest of Haitians?"