The Massif de la Hotte is a mountain range in southwestern

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and s ...

, on the Tiburon Peninsula. About 2.5 million years ago, Massif de la Hotte was separated from the

Massif de la Selle In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...

by a deep, wide sea channel, and formed a separate island. This resulted in a hotbed of

endemism Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

in la Hottes bird, plant, and reptile communities. The Massif de la Hotte is subdivided into the Oriental la Hotte in the East, the central la Hotte and the Occidental la Hotte on the Western tip of the Tiburon peninsula. The Occidental la Hotte is relatively remote and is one of the most biologically diverse and significant areas of all of

Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and th ...

. It also supports some of the last stands of Haiti's dense

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud ...

on its peaks. Haiti has a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

located here. In the wake of the

2010 Haiti earthquake A catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest department, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's ca ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

's World Heritage Program is helping Haiti assess the damage.

Biodiversity and conservation

Occidental la Hottes is the highest and biologically most diverse part of Massif de la Hotte. Rising to a peak level of approximately 7700 ft (2347 m) in Pic Macaya; Haiti's second highest peak, the Massif's high and fluctuating elevations supports some of Hispaniola's highest levels of biological diversity and endemism. Notable conservation areas in the Massif de la Hotte include five National Parks, five Habitat/Species Management Areas, two Protected Area with sustainable use of natural resources and the largest cave on the Caribbean islands Grotte Marie Jeanne. The National Parks are:

Pic Macaya National Park Pic Macaya National Park (french: Parc National Pic Macaya) is one of two national parks of the Republic of Haiti. It is located in the country's southern peninsula, within the Massif de la Hotte. Featuring the country's last stand of virgin cl ...

, Grande Colline National Park, Deux Mamelles National Park,

Grand Bois National Park Grand Bois National Park (French: Parc National Naturel de Grand Bois, Haitian Creole: Gran Bwa Pak Nasyonal) is a national park in Haiti. It was established on September 23, 2015, by Haitian president, Michel Martelly.Le Moniteur, Journal Of ...

and Ile a Vache National Park. The Habitat/Species Management Areas are: Grosse Caye / Zone humide d'Aquin, Olivier / Zanglais, Pointe Abacou, Fond de Cayes, la Cahouane. The two Protected Area with sustainable use of natural resources are: Jeremie - Abricot and Barcaderes Caymites.

Conservation International Conservation International (CI) is an American nonprofit environmental organization headquartered in Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia. CI's work focuses on science, policy and partnership with businesses, governments and communities. The org ...

recognizes the region as one of the most conservation-urgent in the world in which 13 of Hispaniola's most critically endangered species (all

amphibians Amphibians are four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arbo ...

) occur. Among the most critically endangered frog species are '' Eleutherodactylus chlorophenax'' and '' Eleutherodactylus parapelates'', two frog species

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to Haiti. The

Hispaniolan trogon The Hispaniolan trogon (''Priotelus roseigaster'') is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae. It is endemic to Hispaniola (both Haiti and the Dominican Republic) in the Caribbean. It is one of the only two trogon species found in the Caribbea ...

has a recognized presence in the region.

La Hotte Biosphere Reserve

The La Hotte Biosphere Reserve was designated by

in 2016. The reserve covers an area of 435,193.5 ha (terrestrial and marine), with a core area of 117,119 ha (terrestrial 52,781.5 ha, marine 64,337.5 ha), a buffer zone of 185,027.5 ha (terrestrial 130,074.5 ha, marine: 54,953 ha), and a transition area of 133,047 ha (terrestrial 82,423 ha, marine: 50,624 ha)."La Hotte". UNESCO Man and Biosphere Programme, June 2016. Accessed 30 December 2020

/ref>

References

{{reflist Mountain ranges of Haiti Grand'Anse (department) Sud (department) Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Biota of Hispaniola Hispaniolan moist forests

Biodiversity and conservation

La Hotte Biosphere Reserve

See also

References