Summary

The Dominican Republic and Haiti share the Caribbean Island of Hispaniola. From the air the differences are stark. The Dominican side is dark and green while the Haitian side is pale and brown. The first European visitors noted that the island was largely green and forested. Both countries have lost forest but Haiti has lost far more.

Deforestation has caused the loss of timber, erosion, loss of soil fertility, pollution of fresh water sources and decreased rainfall in both countries but much more so in Haiti. Both are poor countries, have weak governments, insufficient food supply and serious social problems. Haiti is the poorest country in the world outside of Africa and among the most over-populated. There is a high rate of infection with AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria among the poor. There is...