Artibonite Valley is a valley predominantly in
Haiti, on the island of
Hispaniola. The
Artibonite River
The Artibonite River ( Spanish: '' Río Artibonito''; Haitian Creole: ''Latibonit'') is the longest river in Haiti, and the longest on the island of Hispaniola. It is also the second-longest river in the Caribbean, behind the Cauto River in Cuba. ...
flows through the valley, with headwaters in the
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...
as well.
The valley's
watershed provides vital
ecosystem services
Ecosystem services are the many and varied benefits to humans provided by the natural environment and healthy ecosystems. Such ecosystems include, for example, agroecosystems, forest ecosystem, grassland ecosystems, and aquatic ecosystems. ...
on which the socio-economic development of one of the poorest areas of the Dominican Republic and Haiti depends. These services have been adversely impacted by deforestation, inappropriate land use, and harmful agricultural practices, which cumulatively have resulted in severe
land degradation
Land degradation is a process in which the value of the biophysical environment is affected by a combination of human-induced processes acting upon the land.
It is viewed as any change or disturbance to the land perceived to be deleterious o ...
and threats to water resources.
Government of the Dominican Republic, Government of Haiti, United Nations Development Programme and Oxfam-Quebec. Reducing conflicting water uses in the bi-national Artibonite River basin through development and adoption of a multi-focal area Strategic Action Programme (UNDP Project Document), retrieved October 28, 2010.
References
Landforms of Haiti
{{Haiti-geo-stub