Haiti Marks International Day of Biosphere Reserves with UNESCO Youth Workshop

Haiti's Ministry of the Environment (MdE), through its Biosphere Reserve Management Unit (UGRBH), organized a training and awareness-raising workshop to mark the International Day of Biosphere Reserves, in collaboration with the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Youth Network, according to haitilibre.com. The workshop sought to raise understanding of the country's biosphere reserves, which are severely affected by deforestation, ecosystem degradation and the effects of climate change, and to promote an approach balancing biodiversity conservation with local community development. Yves Bernard Remarais, Chief of Staff to the Minister of the Environment, officially launched the celebrations before representatives of various sectoral institutions and Ministry officials. He said Haiti's natural heritage cannot be protected sustainably without the active engagement of local communities, describing the UNESCO-recognized La Selle and La Hotte reserves as both a responsibility and an opportunity for sustainable development. Remarais linked the approach to the National Community Reforestation Strategy, which places local authorities and communities at the center of efforts to restore degraded ecosystems. Ematel Bélance, Coordinator of the UGRBH, noted that UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme, launched in 1971, aims to balance conservation, economic and social development, scientific research and environmental education. Haiti's two reserves are part of a global network of 797 biosphere reserves across 145 countries, the reports said.