Independent Evaluation Finds Ecological Gains in Haiti Mangrove Protection Project

A final independent evaluation of CORE's "Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) for the Protection and Restoration of the Bondeau, Pestel and Corail Mangroves" project has reported strong relevance and measurable ecological gains, according to coreresponse.org. The project ran in Haiti's Nippes and Grand'Anse departments from January 2023 to April 2026, with support from the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF), for a budget of USD 2 million. The evaluation used a mixed-methods approach, including 200 household surveys, 12 focus groups, and 30 institutional and community interviews, to assess relevance, consistency, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability, with particular attention to the viability of the PES model. It found that more than 19,000 hectares of ecosystems were placed under protection, restoration, or sustainable management. The evaluation noted that institutional anchoring, the long-term viability of alternative livelihoods, and the long-term sustainability of the PES mechanism still need to be consolidated. The report closes with nine recommendations. The findings were published as a condensed version of the full independent evaluation, according to coreresponse.org via ReliefWeb.