Baseline Ecological Inventory for Three Bays National Park, Haiti OCTOBER 2016 Report for the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) 1 To cite this report: Kramer, P, M Atis, S Schill, SM Williams, E Freid, G Moore, JC Martinez-Sanchez, F Benjamin, LS Cyprien, JR Alexis, R Grizzle, K Ward, K Marks, D Grenda (2016) Baseline Ecological Inventory for Three Bays National Park, Haiti. The Nature Conservancy: Report to the Inter-American Development Bank. Pp.1-180 Editors: Rumya Sundaram and Stacey Williams Cooperating Partners: Campus Roi Henri Christophe de Limonade Contributing Authors: Philip Kramer – Senior Scientist (Maxene Atis, Steve Schill) The Nature Conservancy Stacey Williams – Marine Invertebrates and Fish Institute for Socio-Ecological Research, Inc. Ken Marks – Marine Fish Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) Dave Grenda – Marine Fish Tampa Bay Aquarium Ethan Freid – Terrestrial Vegetation Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve-Bahamas National Trust Gregg Moore – Mangroves and Wetlands University of New Hampshire Raymond Grizzle – Freshwater Fish and Invertebrates (Krystin Ward) University of New Hampshire Juan Carlos Martinez-Sanchez – Terrestrial Mammals, Birds, Reptiles and Amphibians (Françoise Benjamin, Landy Sabrina Cyprien, Jean Roudy Alexis) Vermont Center for Ecostudies 2 Acknowledgements This project was conducted in northeast Haiti, at Three Bays National Park, specifically in the coastal zones of three communes, Fort Liberté, Caracol, and Limonade, including Lagon aux Boeufs. Some government departments, agencies, local organizations and communities, and individuals contributed to the project through financial, intellectual, and logistical support. On behalf of TNC, we would like to express our sincere thanks to all of them. First, we would like to extend our gratitude to the Government of Haiti through the National Protected Areas Agency (ANAP) of the Ministry of Environment, and particularly Minister Dominique Pierre, Ministre Dieuseul Simon Desras, Mr. Ematel Belance, Mr. Louis Michelet, Mr. Prenor Coudo and Mrs. Ninon Angrand, for giving our technical team the necessary assistance and cooperation to pursue the project implementation. This project also benefited from the technical support of Dr. Gwilym Rowlands from the National Coral Reef Institute (NCRI) at Nova Southeastern University’s Oceanographic Center, and Dr. Judith C. Lang, Dave Grenda, Ken Marks, and Sandra Voegeli of the Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment Program (AGRRA). We thank Mrs. Virginie Destuynder, our liaison at the Universite d’Etat d’Haiti Campus Roi Henry Christophe de Limonade, the campus director, Dr. Audalbert Bien-Aime, and the former campus director, Dr. Jean Marie Theodat, for their support in the field, and for providing meeting facilities for the stakeholders’ outreach activities. We extend our sincere thanks to the teacher staff – Ms. Jusline Rodne Jeanty, Romual Chery, and Claudel Noel – that led the stakeholders’ assessment surveys and participated along with our scientists in various field surveys as part of an effort to share expertise. We would like to acknowledge Robinson Jimenez and his crew at Galleon Divers from Monte Cristi for their logistical support during the marine surveys, as well as our captain, Thony Dormeus, our field guides, Jackson Cadet, André Deus Morency from Brigadier Maritime en Action based in Caracol, Eden Blaise from ASME (Agents de Surveillance des Mangroves et de l’Environnement), based in Derac, Voltaire Cauvin from Groupe de Recherche de la Biostasie in Fort Liberte, our driver, Jean Ricot Saintilme, the staff at hotel Le Relais in Fort Liberte, and the staff at hotel Puissance Divine in Limonade, for their support to our implementation team during the field surveys. Thanks also to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for its financial and operational support, and in particular, Andy Drumm, Graham Watkins, Gilles Damais, Rachel Atkinson, Crystal Fenwick, Heidi Hausman and Serge Troch. Last but not least, we sincerely thank all 3 communes – Fort Liberté, Caracol, and Limonade – and all local residents for their hospitality and warm welcome, in particular the fishermen and other interviewees for their patience, generosity, and support in providing important information on the local context in general and particularly on the biodiversity around the Three Bays National Park. Authors: Philip Kramer (Lead Scientist) Maxene Atis (TNC Project Manager) Steven R. Schill (TNC Senior Scientist) 3 Table of Contents Summary ............................................................................................................................... 8 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 11 Physical Setting of Three Bays National Park .................................................................... 12 Previous Ecological Studies in Haiti.................................................................................... 20 Assessing Biodiversity of 3BNP .......................................................................................... 22 I. Terrestrial Vegetation .................................................................................................. 29 Description of Terrestrial Habitats ............................................................................. 29 Comparisons to Previous Studies ............................................................................. 34 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 36 II. Mangroves and Coastal Wetlands ............................................................................... 37 Description of Mangrove and Wetland Habitats ........................................................ 38 Threats to Mangrove and Coastal Wetlands ............................................................. 50 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 55 III. Birds and Terrestrial Vertebrates ................................................................................. 56 Description of Terrestrial Vertebrate Habitats ........................................................... 57 Threats to Terrestrial Vertebrates and Birds ............................................................. 66 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 67 IV. Freshwater Fauna ....................................................................................................... 68 Description of Freshwater Habitats ........................................................................... 69 Comparisons to Previous Studies ............................................................................. 83 Threats to Freshwater Fauna .................................................................................... 86 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 86 V. Marine Benthic Invertebrates ....................................................................................... 87 Description of Marine Benthic Habitats ..................................................................... 88 Comparisons to Previous Studies ............................................................................. 99 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 100 VI. Marine Fish ................................................................................................................. 101 Description of Marine Fish Habitats .......................................................................... 102 Comparisons to Previous Studies ............................................................................. 108 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 112 Synthesis and Recommendations ....................................................................................... 113 Management Recommendations ....................................................................................... 113 1. Recommendations for large-scale physical and ecological processes ................ 113 2. Recommendations for habitats ........................................................................... 115 3. Recommendations for species ............................................................................ 117 Scientific gaps of 3BNP ............................................................................................ 119 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 121 References ............................................................................................................................ 122 Appendices ........................................................................................................................... 128 Appendix 1. Detailed Materials and Methods for biodiversity assessments ....................... 128 I. Terrestrial Vegetation .......................................................................................... 129 4 II. Mangroves and Coastal Wetlands ...................................................................... 130 III. Birds and Terrestrial