The Silent Crisis: Critically Endangered Species in Haiti

 

The Silent Crisis: Critically Endangered Species in Haiti

ESSAY | 14 August 2025

By Patrick Prézeau Stephenson

Haiti, a Caribbean nation renowned for its rich biodiversity and unique ecosystems, is currently facing a conservation emergency. Decades of deforestation, habitat fragmentation, and human encroachment have pushed a significant number of its native species to the brink of extinction. In this article, we spotlight the country's critically endangered species, highlighting the urgent need for conservation action and policy reform.

A recent survey identified 66 species designated as critically endangered in Haiti, spanning amphibians, reptiles, and plants—each group facing distinct but overlapping threats. The accompanying Sankey plot (produced in R using highcharter) visually captures the taxonomic breakdown and relative proportions of these imperiled taxa.

 

Sankey plot by kingdom, phylum, class, order, and family

Data Source:  IUCN Red List | via: rainforests.mongabay.com | Pat Stephenson (@stepminer2)

Below, we present an ordered table of these species, sorted by kingdom:

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Table 1: Critically Endangered Species of Haiti, Sorted by Kingdom

#	Scientific Name	Group	Kingdom
1	Miconia xenotricha	Plant	Plantae
2	Mouriri lancifolia	Plant	Plantae
3	Salvia paryskii	Plant	Plantae
4	Sagraea woodsii	Plant	Plantae
5	Manilkara gonavensis	Plant	Plantae
6	Miconia hottensis	Plant	Plantae
7	Coccoloba hotteana	Plant	Plantae
8	Clavija domingensis	Plant	Plantae
9	Calyptranthes hotteana	Plant	Plantae
10	Cleyera ternstroemioides	Plant	Plantae
11	Ternstroemia barkeri	Plant	Plantae
12	Pseudophoenix lediniana	Plant	Plantae
13	Consolea falcata	Plant	Plantae
14	Cordia tortuensis	Plant	Plantae
15	Attalea crassispatha	Plant	Plantae
16	Mecranium alpestre	Plant	Plantae
17	Nectandra caudatoacuminata	Plant	Plantae
18	Zanthoxylum haitiense	Plant	Plantae
19	Nectandra pulchra	Plant	Plantae
20	Magnolia ekmanii	Plant	Plantae
21	Magnolia emarginata	Plant	Plantae
22	Calycogonium torbecianum	Plant	Plantae
23	Amyris apiculata	Plant	Plantae
24	Meriania ekmanii	Plant	Plantae
25	Meriania squamulosa	Plant	Plantae
26	Miconia alloeotricha	Plant	Plantae
27	Miconia cineana	Plant	Plantae
28	Mecranium juddii	Plant	Plantae
29	Mitophis leptepileptus	Reptile	Animalia
30	Leiocephalus endomychus	Reptile	Animalia
31	Leiocephalus pratensis	Reptile	Animalia
32	Amphisbaena leali	Reptile	Animalia
33	Sphaerodactylus nycteropus	Reptile	Animalia
34	Sphaerodactylus williamsi	Reptile	Animalia
35	Spondylurus haitiae	Reptile	Animalia
36	Phyllodactylus sommeri	Reptile	Animalia
37	Amphisbaena gonavensis	Reptile	Animalia
38	Sphaerodactylus elasmorhynchus	Reptile	Animalia
39	Sphaerodactylus sommeri	Reptile	Animalia
40	Leiocephalus rhutidira	Reptile	Animalia
41	Amphisbaena cayemite	Reptile	Animalia
42	Typhlops agoralionis	Reptile	Animalia
43	Sphaerodactylus lazelli	Reptile	Animalia
44	Eleutherodactylus paulsoni	Amphibian	Animalia
45	Eleutherodactylus poolei	Amphibian	Animalia
46	Eleutherodactylus rhodesi	Amphibian	Animalia
47	Eleutherodactylus amadeus	Amphibian	Animalia
48	Eleutherodactylus apostates	Amphibian	Animalia
49	Eleutherodactylus sciagraphus	Amphibian	Animalia
50	Eleutherodactylus bakeri	Amphibian	Animalia
51	Eleutherodactylus brevirostris	Amphibian	Animalia
52	Eleutherodactylus thorectes	Amphibian	Animalia
53	Eleutherodactylus caribe	Amphibian	Animalia
54	Eleutherodactylus chlorophenax	Amphibian	Animalia
55	Eleutherodactylus ventrilineatus	Amphibian	Animalia
56	Eleutherodactylus corona	Amphibian	Animalia
57	Eleutherodactylus warreni	Amphibian	Animalia
58	Eleutherodactylus darlingtoni	Amphibian	Animalia
59	Eleutherodactylus dolomedes	Amphibian	Animalia
60	Eleutherodactylus eunaster	Amphibian	Animalia
61	Eleutherodactylus glandulifer	Amphibian	Animalia
62	Eleutherodactylus glanduliferoides	Amphibian	Animalia
63	Eleutherodactylus lamprotes	Amphibian	Animalia
64	Eleutherodactylus lucioi	Amphibian	Animalia
65	Eleutherodactylus semipalmatus	Amphibian	Animalia
66	Eleutherodactylus parapelates	Amphibian	Animalia

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Summary Statistics

• Total species: 66
• Plants (Plantae): 29
• Reptiles (Animalia): 15
• Amphibians (Animalia): 22

Note: The kingdom "Animalia" includes both reptiles and amphibians; "Plantae" covers all plants.

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Conservation Outlook

Haiti’s critically endangered species are harbingers of a broader ecological crisis. Targeted conservation efforts, habitat restoration, and community-based stewardship are essential for turning the tide. The biodiversity of Haiti is not only a national treasure but a global heritage at risk.

For a visual representation, see the accompanying Sankey plot illustrating the distribution of critically endangered species by taxonomic group.

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Author: Patrick Prézeau Stephenson
Interactive Corresponding Sankey Plot: Produced in R with highcharter: RPubs - HTML

 References

IUCN Red List | via: rainforests.mongabay.com. 

https://rainforests.mongabay.com/biodiversity/en/haiti/CR.html