Author: Gabriela Vaz Rodrigues
I am currently a PhD Candidate in Geographical Sciences and PSE Seed grant recipient. The Workshop for Society and the Environment of October 14th featured a presentation on my ongoing research on contemporary tree cover change in Haiti. As an introduction, I talked about the complexity of tree cover change in general as a phenomenon involving a multitude of inter-related agents, factors, impacts, feedbacks, and temporal and spatial interactions and about the use of Geographical Sciences, remote sensing and geographic information systems to help connect disciplines and study such problems in a more holistic way. The presentation then explored my research topic within its particular context, as well as the research questions and methodology.
Deforestation in particular is recognized as a critical impediment for Haiti’s development. It degrades the environment on which its population depends, the subsistence of its farmers, increases their vulnerability to the weather, and may contribute to climate change. Tree cover is widely assumed to represent between 1 and 4% of Haiti’s total land area. Remarkably however, no empirical data on tree cover actually exists for the whole country. Also, quantitative studies on factors of tree cover change in Haiti are scarce and have focused primarily on afforestation in specific areas and on a limited number of drivers. To fill these gaps my research includes an unprecedented estimation of tree cover change at the national scale between 2002 and 2010, and seeks to identify both geographic and socio-economic drivers of tree cover change. It takes advantage of a unique, exhaustive collection of aerial photography to estimate tree cover change and to visually collect data on area-specific factors of deforestation. It will also rely on a large survey to be conducted among households in selected municipalities to collect information on plot and household-level factors of tree cover change.
Deforestation in particular is recognized as a critical impediment for Haiti’s development. It degrades the environment on which its population depends, the subsistence of its farmers, increases their vulnerability to the weather, and may contribute to climate change. Tree cover is widely assumed to represent between 1 and 4% of Haiti’s total land area. Remarkably however, no empirical data on tree cover actually exists for the whole country. Also, quantitative studies on factors of tree cover change in Haiti are scarce and have focused primarily on afforestation in specific areas and on a limited number of drivers. To fill these gaps my research includes an unprecedented estimation of tree cover change at the national scale between 2002 and 2010, and seeks to identify both geographic and socio-economic drivers of tree cover change. It takes advantage of a unique, exhaustive collection of aerial photography to estimate tree cover change and to visually collect data on area-specific factors of deforestation. It will also rely on a large survey to be conducted among households in selected municipalities to collect information on plot and household-level factors of tree cover change.
To estimate tree and tree cover change I am using very high resolution (30cm and 1m) aerial photography of the entire territory, and I am visually interpreting the land cover of a sample of pixels using a grid of dots to estimate the percentage of each land cover class at the pixel level. On total 10,000 pixels will be attributed a land cover class, among which tree cover. To analyze the relationship between tree cover change om the one hand, and geographic and socioeconomic attributes of these areas on the other hand, my research uses quantitative econometric methods, including regression methods, and will be complemented by a qualitative analysis of results with the help of field interviews. One potentially strong factor that is hypothesized is the control over resources by farmers through physical presence but also through rights over land and its resources.
Drawing from my experience working in Haiti and from my knowledge of the Haitian context and development challenges, in addition to revealing contemporary tree cover change and some of its factors, my research intends to discuss what the implications are for policy and land use planning in Haiti, where many projects and policies have more or less unsuccessfully tried to tackle deforestation or to encourage reforestation over the years.
Drawing from my experience working in Haiti and from my knowledge of the Haitian context and development challenges, in addition to revealing contemporary tree cover change and some of its factors, my research intends to discuss what the implications are for policy and land use planning in Haiti, where many projects and policies have more or less unsuccessfully tried to tackle deforestation or to encourage reforestation over the years.
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