Geospatial Mapping of Charcoal and Fuelwood Renewability in Haiti and Potential Environmental Benefits from a Nationwide Cookstove Program
The Alliance, as part of the Global Affairs Canada funded development of The Haiti Action Plan to Transform the Market for Clean Cookstoves and Fuels, commissioned Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) to conduct a country-wide geospatial mapping of charcoal and fuelwood renewability. Hosting both high rates of charcoal use and a well-documented history of land cover change, Haiti has long been upheld as an example of woodfuel-driven deforestation. However, recent research has raised questions about the state of Haiti’s forest cover, indicating that it may be much higher than it has historically been portrayed. This report brings together recent insights into Haiti’s forest cover and new spatial woodfuel models.
* This study was carried out under a short-term contract as a “desk-study”. There was neither time nor budget allocated for fieldwork or on-site consultations with local experts. Key inputs like woodfuel demand, land cover mapping, primary sources of woodfuel feedstocks, and rates of woody biomass regrowth were based on publicly available information that might be outdated or simply inaccurate. Additional work would be required to boost the reliability of the model’s inputs and reduce the uncertainty in the results.
