Efforts to combat deforestation in Haiti have received a significant boost, with substantial expansion plans revealed for reforestation projects in the country.
JUST ONE Tree has sensationally announced that it has added two new sites to its sizeable roster of reforestation projects in Haiti and will be collaborating with ‘on the ground’ partners to plant the trees that will have considerable benefits to the landscape, local communities, and ecosystems.
Speeding up Haiti reforestation
Both of the two novel projects will be managed by Eden Reforestation Projects, with the first being a plot of 25,000 mangroves situated in Aquin Bay on the southern coast of the country. The project will provide long-term restoration and protection of an area and essential fishing ground that at one point became extremely degraded. In addition, the local community will reap the benefits of being employed in planting and protecting the forest.
Amanda Bronkhorst, the founder of JUST ONE Tree, said: “The area has around 100,000 inhabitants, many of whom rely on fishing for their livelihoods. Supporting and protecting the mangroves will help to ensure there are places for larval fish and invertebrates to mature, securing the coral reefs of tomorrow – and the fishing catches of the local community.”
The second site is located on a diminutive island just off the southwest coast of Haiti called Ile A Vache, which is home to around 14,000 Haitians who primarily rely on fishing and agriculture as their source of income.
Bronkhorst commented: “We aim to plant over 308,000 trees within an 800-hectare plot over the coming five years. This will support the local community with agricultural education, training and sustainable incomes through the reforestation process while helping to protect its terrestrial and marine ecosystems.”
Haiti mangroves are home to 13 endangered species, including the West Indian manatee, the American crocodile, and the Atlantic Ocean Sea turtle.
“As with all our projects, we’re putting people at the very heart of them,” said Bronkhorst. “We’re not just helping to employ local community members to plant our trees; we’re supporting them long-term to protect our forests from wildfires, illegal logging and other threats as well as to monitor them so that they thrive to maturity and beyond. This will make sure that the mangrove replanting is sustainable and enhances the lives of the community at the same time.”
JUST ONE Tree
JUST ONE Tree is a non-profit organisation aiming to remove CO2 from the atmosphere and reverse biodiversity loss through global reforestation; planting trees in areas severely affected by deforestation to have the greatest positive effect on reducing global warming. During this process, they help to provide agricultural education, training, and sustainable incomes to local communities.
JUST ONE Tree concentrate on restoring the entire ecosystem – planting on land, in the oceans and helping to shape the next generations of planet-conscious thinkers through environmental education.
