Participants: Anna G, Stuart, Jane, Joe Duplan, Melinda, Marie, Jenn
Directory of agencies working in Haiti: Stuart has list complied in 2001; has about 1500 on the list Today’s news a shock- a boat North of Haiti was intercepted and was being towed when it was capsized although this story is being denied by governments of neighboring islands. Questions of where the people were going, why they weren’t brought onto the intercepting boat and if there was a problem with how they were being towed?
Stuart: how refugees are treated and what caused them to leave. What was the original problem that uprooted the families, are they from a rural area? Stories of the refugees:
Stuart: Difference between cause and effects. People don’t take enough time to study and establish cause and effects. People usually deal with the effects rather then causes or rather deal with symptoms. The closer you get to the cause the more problem you force and becomes more dangerous.
There are hundreds of organization working in Haiti but the situation remains dire. Money is invested but no benefits, especially in terms of large donors like World Bank. Haitian population exists outside Haiti, too—this is part of the refugee story. What is the significance of planting twenty thousand trees in Haiti? How do these trees lead to more trees? Until we can reverse the direction of the boat that sank in the Caribbean yesterday.
How much repair of the environment can keep those refugees home? Capturing the boat last night may have contributed to the problem—made it worse.
Joe: how do you get the refugees to stay? We’ve been dealing with environment for last 4 years. Some cut down trees to send kids to school--what you do tell them? What alternative do you give them to charcoal? Government is not really involved yet but once they get involved and there is adequate environment education---Kids have to be involved and Haitians have to change their way of thinking.
Marie: Also there hasn’t never been a long-term effort implemented in Haiti; always thought of as a “quick fix”. People look for one village to deal with --- the quick fix instead of thinking of Haiti as a whole and dealing with the roots
Get all organizations, talk to the government and explain this is what we are trying to do, ask for accountability.
Announce on a national level
Stuart: agrees one of root of the problem is connection between people and government.
Melinda: Ministere de L’environment is a new ministry and they want to do work but are the step-child of the other ministries—there is an opportunity for us to work with the government.
Marie: feeling hopeful and that’s why I’m getting involved in the work now
Stuart: Haiti is a country in recovery, trying to repair, like some others (Iraq, Sierra Leone)
Give a since of hope--we need something to move us forward. I recently connected with Daniel Busard who is in charge of a dept at the Ministere de L’environment (Md’E). He is very encouraging and wants to represent the Ministere de L’environment—trying to organize an international environment conference on June 4 in Miami to get American involvement.
The other side in the environmental issue is to get people to migrate. Other government officials I met were Aristide-in-exile administration. Some miniters attended an environment conference. They had beautiful materials. Not the same amount of investments in Haiti as there are in DR.
The nature Concervancy and Forestry have projects in both countries. Max Antoine is chair of border commission in ministry of planning and wants to do a directory of the border region. Interest of DR government is stopping Haitians cutting trees on DR side (although this is another prejudice against Haitians).
Joe: Haiti’s environment should be a concern for the entire region, even US.
Marie: investment groups visiting Haiti’s southern coast to invest in building resorts are not concerned with the environment.
Joe: ecotourism—balancing the tourism with its effects on the environment explaining key location of Gros Cheval—Mapov and Fond-Verrettes depend on Gros Cheval.
Head waters are key places, and mountain tops Being strategic about where trees are planted—be geographically strategic.