Addressing Deforestation on the Island of Hispaniola
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Kanojia, Monica
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Abstract
Deforestation disproportionately impacts countries in tropical regions given the dependence on forest-related activities as the predominate source of income. The island of Hispaniola, composed of neighboring nations of Haiti the Dominican Republic, in particular has experienced varying levels of success with forest conservation. However, for the most part the recovery of forested land has progressed at a slow pace, if at all. This study takes a qualitative approach to determining what factors have hindered the optimization of conservation efforts and how they can be improved upon to support reduction of deforestation in the future. Conservation practitioners with experience specific to Hispaniola were interviewed for this study and their responses indicate that barriers to effective conservation fall into four broad categories: social, economic, governance and management. The component that emerged as the missing piece of the puzzle on the island of Hispaniola is engaging with local communities to ensure the progression of conservation efforts.
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Hispaniola, Deforestation, Forest conservation, Community-based conservation