USE OF BEACHES EROSION AS MARKER OF COASTAL EXPOSURE TO ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS. CASE STUDY FROM THE COASTAL FRINGE PORT-AU-PRINCE - GRESSIER

Beach erosion has become for decades one of the main environmental problems of island States. A tangible cause at the base of this phenomenon is an elevation of the sea level induced by global warming of the planet. Caribbean Islands, such as Haiti, are exposed to the effects of erosion and are extremely vulnerable, already considering the accelerated of densification of the coast. This anxiety is even greater for Haiti where 98% of its urban spaces, including Port - au Prince, are found in two ecosystems: coastal and mountainous. In such an environment, the Haitian beaches are not only exposed to adverse reactions from the sea, but also to the resulting stress of inharmonious relations between the exploitation of the mountains and the mismanagement of the coastline of the country which, very often, is used by poor and vulnerable people as a survival place. If the sea-level rise trends continue, the Haitian beaches may be severely affected and this deprived coastal community. The objective of this work is to apply a spatio-temporal model (or scenario) based on biophysical and socio-economic factors to characterize the actual situation of the beaches for the coastal strip Port-au-Prince/Gressier.