Étude de la dynamique de l'occupation des sols du bassin versant de la rivière Mulet à Roche-à-Bateau, Haïti

In Haiti, and in the Mulet river catchment in particular, environmental degradation is a worrying problem. In order to document the evolution of this catchment, we analysed the dynamics of land use over a 40-year period (1979-2019) using reference Landsat satellite images (1979, 1989, 1999, 2009, 20...

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Main Authors: Zurcher Mardy, Jean-Philippe Waaub, Sebastian Weissenberger
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Physio-Géo 2024-04-01
Series:Physio-Géo
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Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/physio-geo/16775
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author Zurcher Mardy
Jean-Philippe Waaub
Sebastian Weissenberger
author_facet Zurcher Mardy
Jean-Philippe Waaub
Sebastian Weissenberger
author_sort Zurcher Mardy
collection DOAJ
description In Haiti, and in the Mulet river catchment in particular, environmental degradation is a worrying problem. In order to document the evolution of this catchment, we analysed the dynamics of land use over a 40-year period (1979-2019) using reference Landsat satellite images (1979, 1989, 1999, 2009, 2019) and interviews with farmers. The results show that the catchment has undergone considerable changes. Over the entire study period, agro-sylvo-pastoral systems are the only unit to have declined continuously. Savannahs and dense agricultural crops have increased, but not steadily. Finally, rocky outcrops and bare soil have become increasingly widespread. These transformations were caused by economic constraints (collapse in world coffee and cocoa prices), an uncertain political context since 1986, which has prevented the application of environmental protection measures, and a succession of extreme weather events (droughts, storms, hurricanes). The careless cultivation of new plots on often very steep slopes without taking precaution contributes significantly to soil erosion.
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spelling doaj-art-6d1092caa1134c63b648460dec60ba8e2024-12-09T13:28:34ZengPhysio-GéoPhysio-Géo1958-573X2024-04-0120618310.4000/physio-geo.16775Étude de la dynamique de l'occupation des sols du bassin versant de la rivière Mulet à Roche-à-Bateau, HaïtiZurcher MardyJean-Philippe WaaubSebastian WeissenbergerIn Haiti, and in the Mulet river catchment in particular, environmental degradation is a worrying problem. In order to document the evolution of this catchment, we analysed the dynamics of land use over a 40-year period (1979-2019) using reference Landsat satellite images (1979, 1989, 1999, 2009, 2019) and interviews with farmers. The results show that the catchment has undergone considerable changes. Over the entire study period, agro-sylvo-pastoral systems are the only unit to have declined continuously. Savannahs and dense agricultural crops have increased, but not steadily. Finally, rocky outcrops and bare soil have become increasingly widespread. These transformations were caused by economic constraints (collapse in world coffee and cocoa prices), an uncertain political context since 1986, which has prevented the application of environmental protection measures, and a succession of extreme weather events (droughts, storms, hurricanes). The careless cultivation of new plots on often very steep slopes without taking precaution contributes significantly to soil erosion.https://journals.openedition.org/physio-geo/16775land usewatersheddegradationclimate conditionsMulet riverHaiti
spellingShingle Zurcher Mardy
Jean-Philippe Waaub
Sebastian Weissenberger
Étude de la dynamique de l'occupation des sols du bassin versant de la rivière Mulet à Roche-à-Bateau, Haïti
Physio-Géo
land use
watershed
degradation
climate conditions
Mulet river
Haiti
title Étude de la dynamique de l'occupation des sols du bassin versant de la rivière Mulet à Roche-à-Bateau, Haïti
title_full Étude de la dynamique de l'occupation des sols du bassin versant de la rivière Mulet à Roche-à-Bateau, Haïti
title_fullStr Étude de la dynamique de l'occupation des sols du bassin versant de la rivière Mulet à Roche-à-Bateau, Haïti
title_full_unstemmed Étude de la dynamique de l'occupation des sols du bassin versant de la rivière Mulet à Roche-à-Bateau, Haïti
title_short Étude de la dynamique de l'occupation des sols du bassin versant de la rivière Mulet à Roche-à-Bateau, Haïti
title_sort etude de la dynamique de l occupation des sols du bassin versant de la riviere mulet a roche a bateau haiti
topic land use
watershed
degradation
climate conditions
Mulet river
Haiti
url https://journals.openedition.org/physio-geo/16775
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