Center for a New American Security

Brown and deforested, Haiti’s terrain (left) contrasts starkly with the green, vegetated landscape of neighboring Dominican Republic. Deforestation has long been a contributing factor to Haiti’s plight: overconsumption of timber resources has led to barren soils and agricultural underproduction, contributing to massive urbanization and even worse environmental stewardship. Understanding these factors helps to explain Haiti’s endemic economic stagnation and political instability, not to mention increased susceptibility to natural disasters. In the last two decades, the United States has intervened repeatedly in an effort to cull the number of Haitian refugees fleeing massive environmental degradation and political strife; demonstrating just how interconnected Haiti’s land stewardship is with U.S. national security.

Photo: Haiti and the Dominican Republic’s shared political border also demarcates a transition from deforested to forested ecological zones. Courtesy of the Scientific Visualization Studio at the Goddard Space Flight Center.