Aux Diablotins (20487)
Haiti, Caribbean

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Year of last assessment: 2008

National site name: Aux Diablotins

Central coordinates: Latitude: 18.3333, Longitude: -72.2500

System: terrestrial

Elevation (m): 1500 to 2282

Area of KBA (km²): 19.80939

Protected area coverage (%): 85.53

KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: Aux Diablotins extends in a narrow band from Morne d'Enfer to Morne Kaderneau (down to 1,500 m north and 1,600 mete south), includes the Massif de la Selle escarpment and occupy approximately 1,500 ha of cliffs. It is bordered by the natural features of the escarpment. Altitude reaches 2282 at Morne Cabaio. Population around Aux Diablotins is made of the former workforce brought in La Scierie area when the pine forest was under national exploitation during the mid 1950's. However, on the north side in Belle-Fontaine, families had been established since colonial times

Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas)

Additional biodiversity: Aux Diablotins is one of the most important sites for nesting of Black-capped Petrels in Haiti. Other endangered include La Selle Trush and Hispaniolan Crossbill, the Vulnerable Hispaniolan Parakeet and Parrots (both not reported for La Visite area), Golden Swallow, Bicknell's Thrush and Western Chat-Tanager. In addition are found endemics such as the Narrow-billed Tody. Last inventory of January-February 2005, included misnetting, sight counting and banding from 5:00 am to 7pm in addition to Petrel surveys on La Visite - Cabaio. Inventory had not been done in the area of Morne d'Enfer and Kaderneau since the 1980s. Due to agriculture in the Grand-Fond and Belle-Fontaine regions and the perception that petrels are bad spirite, it would be wise to have implementation of this IBA as a priority. Non-bird biodiversity: This area is habitat for Plagiodontia aedium. and endemic plants that are only locally found in specific spots such as Morne D'enfer, Morne La Visite, Morne Cabaio etc.

Habitats

Summary of habitats in KBA: Vegetation of the escarpment is made of a moist hardwood forest with species limited to Morne d'Enfer, Morne Tete Opaque, Morne La Visite and Morne Kaderneau. Endemics include species discovered in 1984. The diversity in the hardwood is higher there than in the pine forest. It includes patches that have been cleared for vegetables and corn and that are invade by temperate zone weeds. The southern border of the IBA is made of pine forest.

Land use: agriculture | nature conservation and research | water management

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Rocky Areas(e.g., inland cliffs, mountain peaks)	50
Forest	50

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Absence of conservation program Lack of political will Lack of financial and human resources Lack of technical resources Introduction of exotic species according to the moment benefactor Very high Habitat destruction Need for production area Economic growth Energy crisis Poverty Low soil fertility that requires more land to produce Absence of a holistic conservation program Lack of law enforcement Laissez-faire due to inaccessibility and austerity of the area Threats of lost of land plot Very high Introduced animals Cats, dogs, mongooses and rats behavior Grazing and soil compacting by cattle Very high Fuelwood extraction Energy needs Availability of trees Prohibitive price of other source of cooking energy Climate reaching temperature around 1 to 5°C Very high Endemic species extraction Existing market for ornementals particularly ferns and epiphytes. Very high Demography Demographic growth, family profile Isolation to comprehensive development programs Lack of education Pressure on land and forest resources Narrow horizons to young generation Ignorance of the carrying capacity value Very high Land tenure Absence of protected area delimitation Tragedy of commons Land owner (State) absenteeism Perception of ownership after 25 years on a piece of land Absence of zoning Very high Introduction of exotic species Reforestation programs introducing inadequate tree species Temperate zone vegetable cultivation Species escaped to domestication compete with endemics Very high Erosion Rain and flash flood Very High Conversion to agriculture Food security program National agricultural action plan Governmental priorities International community fund availability Conversion of cultivated plants into invasives Slash and burn Very High Lost of biodiversity Massive monocultural plantations of pine on area that should not be planted with pine Absence of knowledge in protected area management High Cooking during the planting season Camp fire that attract petrels in fire Accidental forest fires High

Additional information

References: Franz, R and D. Cordier. 1986. Herpetofaunas of the national parks of Haiti. Gainesville, FL: Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, USAID/Haiti, Port au Prince, 16 pp. Gali, F. and A. Schwartz. 1986. The butterflies (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) of Morne la Visite and Pic Macaya, Haiti. USAID/Haiti, Port au Prince, 16 pp. Holdridge, L.R. 1947. The pine forest and adjacent mountain vegetation of Haiti considered from the standpoint of a new climatic classification of plant formations. Unpublished PhD Dissertation. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 186 pp. Judd, W.S. 1986. Floristic study of La Visite and Macaya National Parks, Haiti. USAID/Haiti, Port-au-Prince, 98 pp. Judd, W.S. 1987. Floristic study of Morne la Visite and Pic Macaya National Parks, Haiti. Bulletin of the Florida State Museum 32(1):1-136. MacFadden, B.J. 1986. Geological setting of Macaya and la Visite National Parks, southern peninsula of Haiti. USAID/Haiti, Port au Prince, 33 pp. MDE. 1999. Plan d'action pour l'environnement. Commission Interministérielle sur l'environnement. Portau-Prince. Ministère de l'environnement. Paryski, P., C. A. Woods, and F. E. Sergile. 1989. Conservation strategies and the preservation of biological diversity in Haiti. Pp. 855-878 in: C.A. Woods (ed.), Biogeography of the West Indies: past, present, and future. Sandhill Crane Press, Gainesville, FL. Rimmer, C., E. G. Gomez, J. L. Brocca. 2005. Ornithological Field Investigations in La Visite National Park, Haiti, 26 January – 1 February 2005. In collaboration with Société Audubon Haïti. Vermont Institute of Natural Science. 24 pp Sergile, F. E. 2001. Status of conservation in Haiti: a 10-year retrospective. Pp. 547-560. In C. A. Woods and F. E. Sergile, editors. Biogeography of the West Indies: patterns and perspectives. CRC Press: Boca Raton, Florida, 582 p. Sergile, F. E, C. A Woods and P. E Paryski. 1992. Stewardship plan of the national parks of Haiti. Gainesville: Florida Museum of Natural History Sergile, F. E, and C. A Woods. 1995. La Visite: une leçon particulière. Gainesville: Florida Museum of Natural History Sergile, F. E, and C. A Woods. 1995. Biodiversity and formation. Gainesville: Florida Museum of Natural History Thompson, F. G. 1986. Land mollusks of the proposed national parks of Haiti. USAID/Haiti, Port au Prince, 19 pp. USAID. 1987. Country Environmental Profile of Haiti. USAID, Port au Prince, 120 pp. Wetmore, A. and B. Swales. 1931. The birds of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. U.S. National Museum, Bulletin 155:483 pp. Woods, C. A. 1975. Banding and recapture of wintering warblers in Haiti. Bird-Banding 46:344-346. Woods, C. A. and J. A. Ottenwalder. 1983. The montane avifauna of Haiti. Pp. 576-590, 607-622 in: A. C. Risser, Jr. and F. S. Todd (eds.), Proceedings of the Jean Delacour/ICFB Symposium on breeding birds in captivity. International Foundation for the Conservation of Birds, Los Angeles, CA. Woods, C. A. and J. A. Ottenwalder. 1986. The birds of Parc La Visite and Macaya Biosphere Reserve, Haiti. Unpubl. report for USAID/Haiti under contract No. 521-0169-C-00-3083-00, Gainesville, FL. Woods, C. A., and L. Harris. 1986. Stewardship plan for the national parks of Haiti. USAID/Haiti, Port-au-Prince, 272 pp. Woods, C. A., F. E. Sergile, and J. A. Ottenwalder. 1992. Stewardship plan for the national parks and natural areas of Haiti. Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, FL. Woods, C. A. and F. E. Sergile. 1995. The lessons of La Visite. Gainesville: Florida Museum of Natural History Woods, C.A. 1987. The threatened and endangered birds of Haiti: lost horizons and new hopes. Second Delacour/IFCB Symposium, Proceedings :385-430. Woods, C.A. 1983. Biological survey of Haiti: Status of the endangered birds and mammals. National Geographic Society Research Reports 15: 759-768. Woods, C.A., and J.A. Ottenwalder. 1983. The montane avifauna of Haiti. Jean Delacour/IFCB Symposium, Proceedings :576-590 + 607-622. Woods, C.A., and R. Rosen. 1977. Evaluation Biologique d'Haiti: Statut du Plagiodontia aedium et Solenodon paradoxus- Recommendations en ce qui concerne les réserves naturelles et les parcs nationaux. MARNE, Port-au-Prince, 32 pp.