Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 1 February

Pervasive charcoal trade getting major rethink in Haiti

DAVID McFADDEN only erosive food crops ficials, such as Environment wasteland, with numerous deforestation of original
Associated Press such as corn are grown. Minister Simon Desras, ad- published reports asserting forests and that charcoal
MANICHE, Haiti (AP) — Pun- New studies suggest that vocate creation of a reg- that the local charcoal in- practices are currently
gent wood smoke wafts lots like these have actu- ulated, orderly charcoal dustry has transformed the meeting urban energy
daily across the hinterlands ally increased tree cover in sector, with a network of impoverished country into needs,” the report says.
of Haiti’s southern penin- some areas and charcoal “energy forests” planted a moonscape of bedrock, One thing is certain: Haiti
sula, where villagers stack has been dealing with de-
smoldering wood beneath forestation for most of its
dirt mounds to make the history. French colonizers
charcoal that nearly all the destroyed tens of thou-
urban households in the sands of acres of virgin
country use to cook every forest to plant the cane
meal. that once made Haiti the
For decades, authorities world’s largest sugar pro-
and development work- ducer. More wood was cut
ers have denounced such to fuel mills. Entire forests
rural charcoal makers for were shipped to make fur-
stripping the nation’s for- niture of mahogany and
ests, sending topsoil to sea red dyes from a spiny shrub
and helping make Haiti called campeachy.
the poorest country in the After rebellious slaves de-
Americas. The stigma is so feated Napoleon’s army
great that few openly ad- and Haiti became the
mit their involvement. globe’s first black republic
But this view is starting to
change due to a growing in 1804, great plantations
body of research suggest- were divided up. Haitian
ing much of the blame for administrations granted
Haiti’s deforestation lies timber concessions as
elsewhere — and that a In this Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017 photo, a charcoal vendor is shown sells his wares in a central hardwoods were cut for
regulated use of wood- market in Les Cayes, Haiti. Some influential Haitian officials, such as Environment Minister Simon U.S. and European markets.
Desras, advocate creation of a regulated, orderly charcoal sector, with a network of “energy
based charcoal might be forests” planted to produce wood for charcoal and firewood and strengthened surveillance to In the 20th century, dictator
able to provide livelihoods protect zones where wood cutting is off-limits. Francois “Papa Doc” Duva-
without decimating man- (AP Photo/David McFadden) lier contributed by clearing
groves and other remain- border forests he feared
ing natural forests. is not the “environmental to produce wood for char- with forest cover of only 2 would provide cover for
“Charcoal doesn’t need scourge it has been made coal and firewood and percent to 4 percent. guerrillas. Hungry peasants
to be the enemy. We know out to be,” said Chris Ward, strengthened surveillance But while there is no short- cleared mountainsides in
how to make it without kill- director of a reforestation to protect zones where age of stripped hillsides, re- desperate search of farm-
ing the land,” said Victor initiative called “Haiti Takes wood cutting is off-limits. searchers analyzing satel- land.
Moise, leader of a rural col- Root” that is part of Holly- “Charcoal can be sustain- lite and aerial images in re- Clearing slopes for crops
lective in southwest Man- wood actor Sean Penn’s able if we’re growing fast- cent years have debunked and letting grazing animals
iche, where last year’s Hur- J/P Haitian Relief Organiza- growing trees and build- that grim statistic and now eat saplings are the primary
ricane Matthew split ma- tion. ing many energy forests,” say forests still cover about factors behind recent de-
ture trees like matchsticks “We believe that charcoal Desras told The Associ- a third of the mountainous forestation, said John Dale
and devastated crops can actually be part of the ated Press. “We also must country. Zach Lea, an agricultural
while sparing young, fast- solution to Haiti’s deforesta- change the behavior of The longstanding assertion economist working with
growing trees intended for tion problem,” said Ward, the people so they respect that charcoal production Catholic Relief Services.
charcoal. whose nonprofit is co-fund- the protected areas.” is responsible for Haiti’s de- “Once the land has been
Members of Moise’s col- ing a World Bank-led report Similar experiments are nuded forests and must be cleared and farmed it’s
lective harvest cassia and to analyze the amount of well underway in other eliminated to spur refor- highly unlikely it is going to
acacia trees while leaving charcoal brought to the charcoal-burning countries estation is misguided, ac- be able to be reforested,”
the roots to regrow in rows capital of Port-au-Prince struggling with deforesta- cording to a recent World said Lea, who argues the
intercropped with beans and pinpoint where it origi- tion including Tanzania and Bank report. government should en-
and yams. That helps hold nates to assist policymak- Kenya. “Much evidence exists that courage charcoal industry
topsoil that can be washed ers. Haiti has long had a repu- the charcoal trade in Haiti solutions rather than simply
down steep slopes when Some influential Haitian of- tation as an environmental occurred after much of the ignoring or opposing it.q