This book is the result of several flights that I have taken over these rugged mountains and jagged coastlines in the last few years.

This land, viewed from above is different from ground level. The contour of the shores, the white cliffs of the south, the black mountains of the north, the geometric grids of some of its cities do not resemble the familiar sceneries from the ground. A white sandy beach melts into a turquoise sea while all about, miles of palm trees bracing the open Ocean. With each new season, a new coat; after the heavy rains of summer, a bare hill is suddenly green; a dry river runs with crystal clear water, a charred field is covered with new sugar canes.

Haiti, western third of Hispanola island, is very small yet very diversified: a desert in the northwest and rain forest in the Macaya South, pine forest in the east and coral reefs in the north. Haiti seen from the air is a beautiful land, alas, it also reveals a fragile environment about to collapse. Its natural forests cover today only a fraction of what it was only a century ago. At present rate the remaining forests will turn to charcoal in a few years, and the beauty of this land will become a fading memory.
I hope these images will encourage all who love this country to reverse this devastating process and protect their natural heritage for future generations.

Daniel Kedar
Dec 2003

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