In a significant move for Haiti’s ecological future, the National Agency for Protected Areas (ANAP) has officially renewed the management contract for Grand Bois National Park for another five years with the consortium formed by Haiti National Trust (HNT) and the Audubon Society of Haiti (SAH).

This renewal, signed last week by Dr. Jean-François Thomas, Director General of ANAP, and philanthropist and businessman Philippe Bayard, Founder and representative of HNT/SAH and also Founder and Director of Sunrise Airways, continues a partnership initiated in 2020. It confirms the Haitian government’s confidence in a management model based on science, transparency, and the active involvement of local communities.

To date, HNT and SAH remain the only organizations in Haiti to have been entrusted with, and subsequently renewed, a delegated management mandate for a national protected area, illustrating the progressive evolution of environmental governance models in the country.

A Decade of Restoration :

Located in the Massif de la Hotte, Grand Bois National Park is a site of global biodiversity, home to numerous endemic plant and amphibian species classified as critically endangered.

Since the start of their intervention in 2015, and particularly since the first management delegation in 2020, HNT and SAH have transformed the landscape of Grand Bois. Thanks to a vast ecological restoration program, ranging from reforestation with over 321,800 native and endemic trees to the restoration of more than 84 hectares of forest (23% of the park), and including natural regeneration supported by rigorous management of invasive species, Grand Bois is gradually regaining its ecological balance and becoming a vital refuge for threatened wildlife.

The management of Grand Bois National Park relies heavily on the commitment of local communities. Locally recruited forest rangers conduct daily monitoring to prevent deforestation and illegal grazing, while also actively participating in restoration activities.

éThanks to the restoration work, rainwater no longer destroys the trails. We’ve stopped cutting down trees because we understand that the park protects us in return,é says Peterson Désir, a resident of Sevré.

Social commitment is also characterized by strong inclusion: 40% of the workforce dedicated to nurseries and restoration is made up of women.

2026-2030 Outlook :

For this new term, the priorities for the 2026-2030 period include :

• Expanding restoration efforts to new priority areas;

• Strengthening the capacity of forestry agents and scientific research programs;

• Developing sustainable livelihood activities for the benefit of local communities.

HL/ HaitiLibre