Goal: Restore natural protection barriers and protect population and economic activities near riverbanks, river mouths and shorelines in Haiti Grand Sud Region.
Haiti’s southern peninsula is highly susceptible to natural disasters. High levels of deforestation and soil erosion threaten livelihoods and make the area prone to flooding during heavy rainfall. Haiti’s regional location makes tropical depressions and storms a regular yearly event, interspersed by intense periods of drought. The populations living along Haiti’s southern coast are regularly impacted by such events and are in need of support to improve their resilience.
UNEP has integrated disaster risk reduction techniques across all of its programming. The restoration of shoreline vegetation, including mangroves, and the stabilization of riverbanks represent some of the strategies used to provide natural barriers for greater protection against extreme weather events for local populations. In addition, the restoration of key ecosystems, such as mangroves, helps to support livelihoods by providing fertile spawning grounds for fish and habitat for birds and beekeeping.
Highlights of UNEP’s work in this area include:
- Over 27 kilometres of ravines reforested to prevent soil erosion
- Native coastal plant nursery established rehabilitated natural coastal protection barriers with over 64,000 mangrove seedlings planted in over 141 hectares of coastal ecosystems
- Safety at sea training and an emergency plan developed for natural disasters
- Supporting the Government to establish early warning systems on vulnerable islands and islets along the southern coast beginning in 2016
Find out more about UNEP’s work on Ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction.
