The creation of a Geopark in Haiti, an opportunity for the country

Abstract

It has been more than three decades since the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization established the Man and Biosphere Program (MaB), which aims to protect flora and fauna resources, emphasizing the link between man and nature. Since 2001, this organization has established the Global Geoparks system, which aims to protect sites of great geological value and international importance within the framework of a sustainable development approach. In the Republic of Haiti, its geological heritage, although it does not date back beyond the Cretaceous, is rich and deserves to be studied and, in particular the southeastern region. This article advocates laying the foundations of the first geopark in the La Selle reserve; Haitian territory with a little-known geological heritage and where, from the point of view of speleology, more than forty caves have been catalogued. The creation of a geopark could contribute to the development of cross-border tourism between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, benefiting their respective communities.