Check out the new Frame of Mind video from Jenny Nichols and Pongo Media

For most of us – Frame of Mind and Panos Caribbean instructors, chaperones, and youth participants – this was our first visit La Visite national park, and the transient fog enhanced the magic of this place, perched high in the mountains of southern Haiti.

Our first attempt at bringing workshop participants to photograph in the park, last August, had been thwarted by the heavy rains of Tropical Storm Emily, but we were now in the dry season and determined to make it there – in part, to redeem ourselves to the participants, one of whom had told us “it is my dream to go to Parc La Visite.”

Leaving the coastal city of Jacmel, the road became steeper and bumpier than I thought a road could be, until, hours later, we reached the park. And it did not disappoint. Hiking for hours, we passed through pine forest, farmed land, and grassland; and encountered people who lived and worked there. We were guided by Anderson Jean, a Haitian biologist who has been studying the endangered wildlife of of La Visite national park for years, and by staff from Fondation Seguin, who work on conservation and reforestation efforts.

The participants soaked in their new surroundings – running ahead to explore waterfalls and streams, identifying medicinal plants, interviewing people to find out about their lives in the park. On our last night there, we had an evening snack of rich hot chocolate that tasted like a melted chocolate bar in a mug, before heading out on a “frog walk” through the forest. Outfitted with headlamps, the participants peered under leaves and rocks in search of “krapo” (frogs), no small feat considering that when we met them six months earlier, they were afraid of frogs and unaware that Haiti is home to several endangered, endemic species.

Afterwards, back in Jacmel, there was a palpable sense of pride as the youth trickled into the city’s main library for the launch of their photo exhibit. Leading their family and friends around the room from photo essay to photo essay, they brought their experience full-circle by sharing it with their community.

Twenty young Haitians were asked after the completion of the second Frame of Mind Workshop what photography had inspired them to do…

La Visite National Park is an area of exceptional cultural and biological importance and is home to 67 bird and 12 frog species, some of which are found nowhere else in the world. The 4,600 hectare park protects some of the last remaining pine and cloud forest in Haiti. These forests are important not only for the animals, but also for the people of Haiti.

People living within the Park and in the nearby city of Jacmel rely on the forests for clean water, plants for food and medicine, fuel, and protection from soil erosion, drought and floods. The following photo story explores the natural and cultural worlds of Parc La Visite and Jacmel.

Haiti was once cloaked in lush forest. Now, less than 2% of that forest remains. Forest loss is a big problem because exposed soil is washed into the sea during rains, lowering the productivity of the land, and leading to drought and dangerous flash floods.

Approximately fifty million trees are cut down each year to make charcoal, Haiti’s primary source of cooking fuel. While charcoal is an important source of income for some people, if we continue cutting down trees at this rate, there will soon be no trees left in Haiti. It is important that Haitians start to use alternative sources of cooking fuel and technology – solar cookers, ethanol from energy efficient plants, improved wood and charcoal stoves, electricity from the sun, wind and water – to save the remaining forests. The following photo story explores charcoal production and use in Parc La Visite and Jacmel.

Parc La Visite protects plants and trees that are used for a variety of purposes. Tree ferns, orchids, and bromeliads are among the many ornamentals in this area with economic value. Medicinal plants, tea herbs, and a host of native fruit and wood species are used daily by residents of Parc La Visite and Jacmel.

Many of these plants are threatened by over-exploitation and must be conserved so that future generations can benefit from them. A type of juniper tree that was very valuable as a durable lumber used to be found in Parc La Visite. The tree grew to an extraordinary size and was resilient to natural disturbances and decay by wood-rotting fungi. It is thought that this species is now extinct because it was not properly protected.

Access to clean, fresh water is a basic need for everyone. From drinking and bathing to washing food and clothes, our daily lives revolve around water. However, almost half of Haitians have no access to clean water, and only one fifth have access to proper sanitation. As a result, the leading cause of infant mortality and illness in the children of Haiti is contaminated water.

Parc La Visite and the forests it protects act as a large water filter, preventing soil runoff and flash floods and increasing the amount of recharge to aquifers. It is also a source of water, both from the rain and the fog that is captured from the forests, condenses and drips to the forest floor. When the forest is gone, the fog is no longer a source of fresh water to people. The following photo story, compiled by five Haitian youths, highlights the importance of clean water for people living in Parc La Visite and downstream in Jacmel, and explores the link between the health of the environment and clean water.