Haiti National Trust is proud to share news that reaches far beyond our organization: our Executive Director, Anne-Isabelle Bonifassi, has been named one of only 15 recipients worldwide of the 2026 National Geographic Wayfinder Award, presented by Kia, and joins the global community of National Geographic Explorers — scientists, conservationists, educators, storytellers and innovators working to better understand and protect our planet. We see this recognition first and foremost as a spotlight on Haiti.

A Different Story About Haiti

For decades, international coverage of Haiti has centered on political instability, insecurity and humanitarian crisis. These challenges are real. But they are only part of the story. Haiti also holds one of the richest concentrations of biodiversity in the Caribbean, species and ecosystems found nowhere else on Earth, many of them critically endangered, in mountains, forests, wetlands and coastal habitats that have endured despite decades of environmental pressure. Haiti National Trust is among the few organizations working, often against significant odds, to protect what remains.

This award gives that story a bigger stage. It is an opportunity to show the world a Haiti defined not by its challenges, but by its extraordinary natural heritage and the resilience, ingenuity and community-based conservation approach that Haiti National Trust and its extraordinary team have built to protect it.

“This recognition does not belong to me alone,” said Anne-Isabelle. “It belongs to the incredible Haiti National Trust team, our partners, and the communities who work every day to protect Haiti’s biodiversity. I hope it shines a light on Haiti, not only on the challenges we face, but on the remarkable conservation work happening across the country and the people dedicating their lives to safeguarding our natural heritage.”

The Work Behind the Recognition

Since 2015, Haiti National Trust has grown into one of the country’s leading conservation organizations, built on the belief that lasting protection of biodiversity depends on the communities who share the land with it. Our team identifies and protects biodiversity hotspots, restores degraded ecosystems, expands protected areas, supports scientific research, and partners with local communities so that conservation delivers real, lasting benefits for both nature and people. That work includes managing Parc National Grand Bois under a delegation agreement with the Haitian government, restoring hundreds of thousands of native and endemic trees to degraded land, and protecting some of Haiti’s most threatened species, among them Attalea crassispatha, the rarest palm in the Americas; the endemic and critically endangered tree Magnolia ekmanii; and the critically endangered frog Eleutherodactylus semipalmatus — among many other endangered and critically endangered native and endemic species. This recognition helps carry that work, and the urgency behind it, onto the global stage.

Looking Ahead

This award is a milestone, but we see it above all as an opening, and a responsibility. Greater visibility can help attract new partnerships, strengthen support for conservation initiatives already underway, and inspire the next generation of Haitian scientists and conservation leaders. Most importantly, it draws attention to the urgent need to protect Haiti’s remaining forests, endangered species and unique ecosystems before they are lost. Haiti National Trust remains committed to working alongside communities, government agencies, researchers and international partners to ensure that Haiti’s exceptional biodiversity continues to thrive for generations to come.