Current view: Text account
Site description (2008 baseline):
Site location and context
Trou Caïman, also known as Dlo gaye is a 2500 hectare freshwater shallow lake, located at N18º38’12’’ and W72º8’20’’, 20 km northeast of Port-au-Prince, in Plaine du Cul-de-Sac at 10 m elevation. Trou Caiman, together with Lake Azuéi and the Enriquillo wetlands in the Dominican Republic, forms part of an ecoregion of outstanding biological value. This important wetland is exploited by 150 local fishermen, by hunters for migratory ducks and visited as in ecotours. Population is estimated at 22,000 people living also on agriculture (sugar cane, sweet potatoes, beans) and artisans (that use reeds and sedges to weave straw products, i. e. baskets, hats, mats).
Its proximity to the capital is an opportunity to develop an attractive watchable pond, as suggested by the enabling activity the Societe Audubon Haiti's proposal to the Ministry of Environment, MARNDR and TNC in December 2004.
More than 100 species of waterfowl and land birds are found in Trou Caiman. This includes flocks of Greater Flamingos, migratory species and the following endemics: Broad-billed Tody, Hispaniolan Parakeet, Hispaniolan Woodpecker, Palmchat, Hispaniolan Palm and White-necked Crow and Antillean Mango restricted to Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. WIWDs occurred historically, but there are no recent confirmed sightings.
Non-bird biodiversity: Flora: Inventory needs to be updated to identify the endemics, since Haiti counts numerous endemic sedges and reeds.
The lake and nearby surroundings are located in the subtropical dry forest life zone and support a rich diversity of plants including aquatic reeds, sedges (
Cyperus sp.), cattails (
Typha), grasses and mangroves,
Prosopis scrub. Reeds and cattails predominate in the north and east, grass fringes the west edge and scrubs lies on the south edge. Black, white mangrove and buttonwood, located on the northeastern side are remnant of the coastal vegetation of a shallow sea that separated the Hispaniola into two paleoislands during the Pleistocene. Due to the development of sugar industry during colonial time, this area had been heavily exploited for its hardwood to provide lumber for the railroad system and logs for energy. Its land includes rice, sugar cane and other staple crops.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Threats to the Trou Caïman wetland are numerous. They range from industrial development (water and land utilization) to everyday activities (laundry). The following table depicts the conservation threats, source and rank.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
Between 2002-2005, Ducks Unlimited carried on a monitoring project on wetlands in Haiti.
Paul Judex Edouarzin, Natural science and environmental education specialist, M.S., biologist and ecologist. judouarzin@yahoo.fr
Ducks Unlimited
Haiti Waterfowl Surveys
http://www.ducks.org/conservation/lac_survey_haiti.asp
In 2003, the West Indian Whistling-Duck and Wetlands Conservation Project, proposed a conservation, monitoring and awareness program that should have been integrated in the West Indies bird conservation and WIWD in particular.
Lisa G. Sorenson, Ph.D., Project Coordinator, West Indian Whistling-Duck and Wetlands Conservation Project, URL: www.whistlingduck.org
Florence Sergile, Independent consultant.
In 2003, the Société Audubon Haiti proposed, to GOH and TNC, an enabling activity project to assess and confirm this wetland biodiversity, potential to ecotourism and implement a management plan to Haitian government and The Nature Conservancy.
Philippe Bayard, Société Audubon Haiti (Pbayard@societeaudubonhaiti.org)
Dimitri Norris, Ministry of Environment (Dimitrynorris@hotmail.com)
JR. Crouse, from the Free Methodist Church has dedicated many weekends to provide invaluable accounts on birds of these areas from 2001 to mid 2005.
In 2003, the Ministry of Environment celebrated Wetland International Day with emphasis on Trou Caiman. For the occasion, Dimitri Norris, Chief of Biodiversity management and erosion control at the Ministry of Environment published an article in the Nouvelliste, a major newspaper, on the birds of Trou Caïman. In addition, technical assistance was requested
http://www.ramsar.org/wwd2003_rpt_haiti1.htm
Although identified as a site to be protected since 1984, Trou Caïman wetland had never been legally protected, and no management actions had been undertaken.
Florence Sergile, Biodiversity management specialist, Assistant professor, Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, fsergile@ufl.edu or fsergile@yahoo.fr.
Evelyne Bouchereau, Assistant director, Société Audubon Haïti, Evelinebouchereau@audubonhaiti.org
Paul Judex Edouarzin, Natural science and environmental education specialist, M.S., biologist and ecologist. Ministry of Environment, Haiti. judouarzin@yahoo.fr
Dimitri Norris, Chief of Biodiversity Management and Erosion Control, Ministry of Environment, Haiti, Dimitrinorris@hotmail.com
JR Crouse, Free Methodist Church,
Lisa G. Sorenson, Ph.D., Project Coordinator, West Indian Whistling-Duck and Wetlands Conservation Project, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Dept. of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, e-mail: lsoren@bu.edu. URL: www.whistlingduck.org
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Trou Caïman (Haiti). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/trou-caïman-iba-haiti on 23/12/2024.
