Haiti – Dominican Republic - Disasters and Conflicts - UNEP

Mineral exploration is starting in Haiti. 304 Severalexploration and development licenses havealready been signed, including:• the exploitation of silver-gold deposits in MorneGrand Bois and Morne Bossa.• the exploration and exploitation of a golddeposit in Failles.• the exploration and exploitation of copperdeposits in Douvray and Blondin.• the prospection for copper and gold in theregions of Mémé and Casséus.The first environmental provisions related tomining in Haiti were established in 1974, obligingthe beneficiary of a mining claim to protect theenvironment or face sanctions. These provisions arestill in force in the form of the “Code Minier” today.The potential issues linked to the start of large scalemining in the border zone include:2012, the government of Haiti, the Inter-AmericanDevelopment Bank, the U.S. State Department andthe Clinton Foundation inaugurated the CaracolIndustrial Park (CIP) – a modern manufacturingfacility of 246 ha in northern Haiti close to theborder with the Dominican Republic.The CIP is a USD 300 million project, designed topromote investment, to increase the availabilityof electricity, and to create jobs in the region. Aswith other large scale industrial developments,environmental and social impact assessmentsshould be taken into consideration, in order toavoid potential negative effects to the surroundingenvironment and livelihoods, as well as to ensurethe support of the local population.• Displacement of communities and associatedunrest.• An explosion of damaging and unregulatedartisanal mining.• Environmental damage as a result of harmfulprocesses or leakage of residues from themining process.• Uncontrolled local migration to mining sites,“boom towns” with associated social andenvironmental issues.• Land grabbing and property speculation.When new mining concessions are granted,several issues related to natural resources governanceshould be taken into consideration:• land tenure.• transparency and accountability.• public participation in the decision-makingprocess.• sharing of mining revenues.• the capacity of the relevant authorities to reviewthe environmental impact assessments of anyproposed investments.Industrial development is another issue thatprovides both an opportunity, as well as risks for theborder zone if not handled correctly. In October94 Haiti – Dominican Republic: Environmental challenges in the border zone