20/11/2024
Strengthening blue economy:
Strengthening the economy and environmental education awareness of a fishermen association in Grande Cayemite Island.
Haiti is one of the Caribbean countries that support a very rich biodiversity, however this biodiversity is threatened to disappear, because the ecosystems that host this biodiversity are under human threats which have already caused several species to be extirpated from the country. To protect the last remaining species from extinction about 43 sites that host key species have been identified to protect them under the conservation criteria Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) (Timyan 2011). Since then, several conservation efforts have been undertaken but did not alleviate the species threats, because the human needs were not well addressed in consequence natural resources were still harvested in an unsustainable manner.
This is a result of a lack of biological conservationists on the ground that have skills in supporting community livelihoods and teach them how to use the natural resources with sustainability. It is the reason why the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) through its fellowship program has been offer opportunities to five Haitians from different CSOs, to get experience in this field and able to use some tools, CANARI has developed for the past decades that could help them to better orient their conservation action toward success.
After receiving training and visiting several livelihood activities that are being conducted with sustainability in Trinidad and Tobago the participants returned to their home country to share what they have learned to their colleagues. On top of that, CANARI provided a microgrant to the participants to help them apply in Haiti the knowledge they gathered in Trinidad and Tobago.
Since, our CSO ( Action pour la Sauvegarde de l’Ecologie en Haiti (ACSEH) ) is working on the conservation of the Critically Endangered Ridgway’s Hawk in Les Cayemites Island where it severely affected to anthropogenic threats (habitats loss) we estimated it was good to implement a project there that will address human needs, in order to mitigate the anthropogenic threats, with methods that we have learned through the fellowship program.
The project we had in Pointe Sable, Cayemites Islands was focusing on supporting the fishermen association AJPPS to reduce their environmental threats on the region's biodiversity, and conduct an institutional assessment by using the LGE Radar tool.
Then, provided a freezer and two solar panels to the fishermen association AJPPS to increase their storage systems. Then, we provided 2 solar panels of 400 watts each to strengthen the solar energy system they had. In addition, we helped them repair a boat engine they had to facilitate them to go fishing offshore.
On the top of that we conducted two training sessions that covered the importance of mangrove and biodiversity conservation. Then, two additional sessions focused on fund management to increase the organization’s income.
There is no need now for this group of fishermen to cut trees in the Ridgway’s hawk habitat and the mangrove for charcoal production in order to get additional funds to purchase ice to preserve and export their sea foods. Now the fishermen association AJPPS is involved in promote the conservation of the Ridgway’s Hawk and protect the last remaining mangrove forest in the cost of the island to make the community less vulnerable to climate change effects.
Caribbean Natural Resources Institute, The Peregrine Fund Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC) BirdsCaribbean BirdsCaribbean Vermont Center for Ecostudies Island Conservation UICN - Centre de coopération pour la Méditerranée Blue Economy Caribbean Protected Areas Gateway
Strengthening the economy and environmental education awareness of a fishermen association in Grande Cayemite Island.
