Haiti – Environment : Environmental organizations concerned about the use of BASP against armed gangs
07/04/2025 10:09:14

Following the resolution adopted by the Presidential Transitional Council (CEP) https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-44619-haiti-flash-bsap-agents-in-support-to-pnh-and-fad-h-video.html aimed at involving members of the Protected Areas Security Brigade (BSAP) in the fight against armed gangs, environmental organizations are alerting the population to the harmful consequences of this involvement for environmental preservation and the safeguarding of protected areas in Haiti.

For years, the country has been plunged into an acute environmental crisis, exacerbated by the lack of protection of its ecosystems. In this context of multidimensional crisis, it is understandable that exceptional measures are being considered, explains environmental organizations, which specify, “Any security solution should not be at the expense of other equally vital sectors, such as the environment.”

These organizations point out that the Protected Areas Security Brigade, officially created in 2016 as the armed wing of the National Agency for Protected Areas (ANAP), had the fundamental mission of protecting our national parks, forests, and natural and historic reserves. “Its presence, although limited, had begun to restore hope in the fight against the systematic destruction of our ecological heritage.

“By officially transforming the BSAP into a public security force, it is being diverted from its environmental mission. For us, environmental organizations, this decision raises questions that the CPT must address immediately :

Who will now protect our protected areas ?

Who will monitor our threatened natural sites ?

What entity will replace the BSAP to defend what remains of our ecological heritage ?

“Without monitoring, our ecosystems will continue to be plundered, and the consequences will be dramatic: reduced rainfall, famine, food insecurity, forced displacement, and the loss of rural livelihoods.” The reduction of the Forêt des Pins to 12,000 hectares from its original 30,000, and that of La Visite National Park to less than 2,000 hectares, are striking examples.

Therefore, if the BSAP deserves to be reformed, reevaluated, or even streamlined, it must be with the aim of strengthening its environmental monitoring capacity, not politicizing or militarizing it. Otherwise, the entire environment will pay the price.

“We, environmental organizations, therefore demand a clear and credible alternative to ensure the security of Haiti’s protected areas. Our forests, our rivers, and our biodiversity are just as important as the security of our citizens. By neglecting the environment, we are jeopardizing our common future.”

HL/ HaitiLibre