I was listening to a documentary on NPR a few days passed in which a science professor was discussing his new book concerning human nature as the greatest threat to the natural environment. The conversation became personal to me when he chose Haiti as an ultimate example of utter natural disaster. As he put it, Due to repressive governments (lack of leadership) the Haitian people are left without a choice but to destroy their own environment in the act of survival.
There was a report in the Miami Herald's Haiti Section on 8/30/2012 that read, Haiti park standoff highlights conflict over land. I had just flown over the Haitian ragged northern edge a few days earlier. Reading the report, it resonated with me. As the reporter boldly put it, The need to save Haiti's forests is obvious to anyone who flies over the country and sees the almost completely denuded landscape. In 1925, Haiti had 60 percent of its original forest cover. Today, it has about 2 percent, most of it lost because people cut down trees to make charcoal, the principal source of cooking fuel.
This just adds fuel to my fire in my efforts to help tackle this crisis. I fly over the northern tip of Haiti very often; and when I was stable in Cap Haitian I visited several mountainous landscapes. My associate and I took a very close look at the devastation as the treeless, rocky, dried up soils without vegetation were lamenting to our feet.
The following statements bring greater urgency. The wear-and-tear from squatters is evident in La Visite, where the cutting of pine trees is plainly visible. It's considered a critical wildlife habitat and water source for the capital of Port-au-Prince, about 15 miles (25 kilometers) to the northwest. It's also home to threatened bird species such as the Hispaniolan trogon and golden swallow.
The park dwellers survive by growing their own fruits and vegetables and raising livestock, all activities that require clearing trees. During last week Isaac, I was in Haiti. It was not such a powerful storm, but because of the fragility of the environment due to the deprivation of trees and vegetation, it caused maximum damages.
If you were to be listening to Michelle Obama's convention speech, it denoted some important core values that are not matter of personal satisfaction. They are those that are vital to our natural human existence and happiness. It is clear that the Haitian has lost all sense of dignity. Those of the past had done a terrible job determining the future. And, accept it or not, it is what we do today that is going to determine the Haitian tomorrow. So far, our level of leadership and our capacity of being are only leading to destructiveness.
By E.C. GRANMOUN
ecgranmoun.blogspot.com
Join E.C. Granmoun on Facebook and Twitter
Visit amazon.com for E.C. Granmoun's ebook: "Bully: A Novel"
No comments:
Post a Comment