Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies

Haiti: The Society and Its Environment
1971. Some copper can be found in Vallieres, some gold in
Faille-Perches, and some lignite with a high sulfur content on
the Central Plateau and Azile. Salt flats exist in Gonaives and
Caracol. High-grade calcium carbonate has been identified at
Miragoane and Dufort, and marble has been found in the Artibonite,
Camp Perrin, Jacmel, and Margot. Deposits of clay in
Hinche and the Plaine du Nord have good characteristics for
pottery and tile manufacture. There are also numerous sites
where gravel, limestone, and river sands are extracted for use
as construction material for roads and buildings. Such mining,
which is virtually unregulated, disfigures the landscape and creates
a high risk of erosion and landslides.
Coastal and Marine Resource
Haiti's impressive coastal and marine habitats include mangrove
wetlands, seagrass meadows, coral reefs, and numerous
protected bays and estuaries. The diverse coastal system has
white coral sand beaches, limestone cliffs, and rocky shorelines.
Haiti's near-shore underwater landscapes are considered
to be spectacular. These habitats are well developed and could
potentially be managed as renewable resources for fishing and
tourism.
The country's insular shelf (0-200 meters in depth) is quite
narrow and covers an area of 5,000 square kilometers. This sedimentary
platform generally extends no more than 300 meters
offshore, then drops abruptly to the ocean floor to depths of
300 to 4,000 meters. The waters surrounding Haiti are not naturally
productive because of the narrowness of the insular
shelf, the unusual depth of the adjoining Caribbean, the
warmth of surface waters, and the limited supply of nutrients.
There is relatively higher production of fish stocks off the western
tip of the southern peninsula.
An estimated 180 square kilometers of coastal areas are covered
by mangrove forests. The mangroves are valued for their
wood products and serve an extremely important role as reservoirs
of plant and animal species. Significant stands of mangroves
are found along the north coast between the Baie de
l'Acul and Fort Liberte, the Artibonite estuary, and the offshore
islands of lie de la Gonave, Grande Cayemite, and lie a
Vache. The mangroves are largely unaffected by coastal development
but are subject to growing pressures as a result of
unregulated harvest for polewood and charcoal.
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