Protected Areas in Honduras
Department of Protected Areas and Wildlife (Departamento de Areas Protegidas y de Vida Silvestre - DAVPS)
With Decree n. 74-91 of 18th July 1991, the functions of the Wildlife Department of RENARE have been transferred to AFE-COHDEFOR, where the Department of Protected Areas and Wildlife has been created; this department is in charge of regulating and managing the resources regarding wild flora and fauna and of protecting and managing the natural protected areas.
The aims of the Protected Areas Section are: coordinating the regulations and planning of the protected areas, creating and maintaining information services on the current situation of the protected areas, as well as giving continuity to their legalization.
The Present Context
The protected areas in Honduras are 107, out of which 57 have legal basis and therefore form the present protected areas system of the Country. The other areas (50) are protected by the Presidential Agreement 1118-92.
At the moment, the protected areas must face unprecedented threats, such as demographic growth, irrational management, unbalanced and often unrestrained exploitation of natural resources, coffee cultivation, breeding activity, unsustainable development and land property policies. For these reasons, Honduras is loosing about 80,000 hectares of natural areas per year. The loss of natural areas, their deterioration, and the illegal trade of wild species represent the main threats to biodiversity.
Priority Protected Areas
Considering the present problems of the protected areas, their features, size, conservation status, financing opportunities, etc. and according to the proposal elaborated in 1995 within the CBM Program, 34 priority protected areas have been identified: Honduras is directing the main actions towards them.
The protected areas in Honduras are divided according to forest regions, which do not always correspond to the administrative regions of the Country.
Therefore, you will find in this page a first list of protected areas (in these cases, administrative and forest regions correspond); following the link below, you will find a further list of protected areas divided according to the forest regions including more administrative areas.
Source: Administración Forestal del Estado - Corporación Hondureña de Desarrollo Forestal (AFE-COHDEFOR)
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