Overview

Morne La Selle is the highest and largest mountain in Haiti. It rises to 2679 meters in elevation and 41,779 hectares of land are above 1000 m (6845 hectares above 2000 m). Most areas above 1800 m have pine forest, if there is any forest, but there are pockets of hardwoods as well, especially in some larger ravines. Trees have been cut extensively, leaving barren rock in many places. On a brief, one-day visit by helicopter in 2011, biologists encountered 3 species of frogs and 7 species of reptiles and 20 individuals of the critically endangered Black-capped Petrel in a forest pocket on the southern slope at approximately 1900 meters elevation. One frog and one lizard were rare species not previously reported for decades. The mountain does not benefit from adequate protection measures.