13629: Lyall on "Haiti & the destruction of nature" (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: J.David <his_voidness@yahoo.com>

I have heard it said that a large proportion of the
charcoal consumption in Hayti is actually for
the dry cleaning industry!

When in Milot in July K.Pina and I were a bit outback, visiting
some cacao/coffee land. One large tree (possibly a chein tree?)
had recently been felled. To sell to the dry cleaner in town.

Now, I have demonstrated in the past that cooking with charcoal
is MORE EXPENSIVE than propane, and FAR more expensive than
cooking with kerosene. Lots of folks cook without charcoal
in la ville nowadays. In the countryside and provinces
the lack of capital even to buy a kerosene stove
(6 U$D) is a handicap.

The government of Hayti could ban the use of wood fuel
by dry cleaners in an instant, if they cared.

Instead, we find that revoking the autonomy of the
National University is the most pressing development problem
facing the nation.

Much of the charcoal producing lands are state owned lands,
by the way. The Department of the Interior could simply issue
regulations on use of public lands. Vast tracts are simply burned
to the ground periodically to make charcoal production easier.
Vastly less efficient of course, but less labor required.

If anyone doubts this open fire report, just visit St Marc and
look at the north side of the bay. All of that is public land,
and deliberately set forest fires burn there repeatedly.

--
>Most of the birds in Haiti have
> migrated to
> the Dominican Republic. The Haitian peasants cross the border; so do
> the
> birds. Why? Deforestation, no vegetation, and poor agriculture.
>
> My novel, *Sezon sechrès Ayiti* (Season of drought in Haiti) covers
> part of
> the ecological problem where peasants cut down trees to make charcoal
> (for
> cash) because of the absence of other cash-crops. Charcoal
> constitutes 80%
> of energy use in Port-au-Prince.




=====
J. David Lyall,
http://www.lyalls.net/