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Environment and development
in coastal regions and in small islands |
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Coastal
region and small island papers 2
IV.
Conclusions and recommendations
A. GENERAL
Steps should be taken to:
- develop and increase watershed management
to reduce erosion and sedimentation and, where
appropriate, to re-establish degraded habitats;
- develop and increase fisheries management
to improve yields to sustainable levels and to improve
the collection of fisheries data;
- improve the collection of scientific data
within the framework of long-term monitoring programmes;
- investigate the region’s groundwater
resources;
- collect macro- and micro-socio-economic
data to guide future resource management;
- ensure the full involvement and
participation of all stakeholders in the project design
and implementation;
- investigate and monitor the origin and
fate of pollutants and garbage, with particular emphasis
on the Bay of Port-au-Prince, and set up a garbage and
pollution control. The existing UNEP programme, based in
Jamaica, addresses pollution in large bays; Haiti could
join this, but at a governmental level.
B. FRESHWATER MANAGEMENT
Current management of watersheds and extraction
of ground water has resulted in a deterioration in the supply and
quality (due to pollution and salt-water intrusion). The main
problem is an institutional one, in that water management and
extraction is handled by four competing agencies. It is therefore
recommended that:
- management should be the responsibility of
one agency which should be provided with the necessary
technical and financial resources,
- data concerning water resources needs to
be published, and
- the managing agency should be
semi-autonomous in order to help develop laws and to
provide enforcement measures.
C. REGIONAL COOPERATION
Steps should be taken to encourage Haiti to
become involved in CARICOMP and COSALC programmes in order to
establish useful contacts and collaboration with counterparts in
neighbouring countries.
D. INSTITUTIONAL
REQUIREMENTS
To improve the integrated management of the
coastal zone it is recognized that certain institutional
developments are required. The following conclusions were drawn:
- A proposal to create an agency to
implement coastal zone management was considered, at this
time, to be too ambitious and costly for the country.
- Instead, an inter-ministerial council
involving all those having an active interest in the
coastal zone should be established. It is recommended
that this council be created under the authority of the
Office of the Prime Minister with the Ministry of
Environment as the lead agency.
- It was also recognized that the Ministry
of Environment should be strengthened by creating units
for the coastal zone, watershed management and pollution
control. These would be staffed by scientists, field
officers and inspectors who will keep in touch with what
is happening in the country.
E. TRAINING AND EDUCATION
A major training and education programme must
accompany the implementation of project activities.
F. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PILOT PROJECT
It should be noted that, at the end of this
seminar and working sessions, an agreement was reached between
the Foundation for the Protection of Marine Biodiversity and
Quisqueya University to cooperate in matters related to coastal
and marine activities.
