Honduras
Like its neighbors along the Mesoamerican Corridor, Honduras once enjoyed abundant forests and pristine rivers. Set against this bucolic backdrop, decades of repressive military rule stifled social and economic development. Honduras, the largest country in Central America, is home to 7.2 million people, 66% of whom live on less than $2 a day. Over 62% of its rural population lives in extreme poverty, according to the World Bank.
Although some progress was made in the 1990s, severe storms like Hurricane Mitch have reversed many of the gains made. Its vulnerability to natural disasters is exacerbated by the massive deforestation which left entire areas vulnerable to devastating mudslides and flooding. In contrast to its neighbors, Honduras is unlikely to meet the targets laid out by the UN's Millennium Development Goals.
EcoLogic has worked in Honduras since 1996, employing a community collaboration strategy that has produced results even in these challenging conditions. Its work with the Pico Bonito National Park Foundation has transformed lives and livelihoods for thousands who live along the park's buffer areas. The skills and talents used in the successful water committees, which administer clean water to thousands, are now being deployed in other environmentally compatible enterprises. Out of this fruitful partnership, a new entity emerged: Pico Bonito Forests, a for-profit mission-driven venture that produces carbon offsets for the regulated market and provides substantial environmental and economic benefits to the local communities.
Our Support Made Possible
- 444,790 acres of coastal wilderness under sustainable management or protection
- 5,000 trees planted in community managed lands
- 570 clean-burning stoves built
- 370,000 people in 90 communities benefiting
- 60 community capacity-building workshops taught
- 140,000 trees made up of 14 different species planted by Pico Bonito Forests
- 185 local people employed in reforestation activities by Pico Bonito Forests
Successful Past Partnership
The Foundation for the Protection of Lancetilla, Punta Sal & Texiguat was formed by Jeannette Kawas National Park area residents concerned with the massive destruction of natural resources in the region. Its mission is to promote sustainable management of natural resources and to conserve Honduran cultural values. EcoLogic assisted the Foundation in crafting a community-led response to the rampant destruction of the area's natural resources and established a consortium that linked the organizations working to protect the Pico Bonito and the Jeannette Kawas national parks. This alliance built self-sustaining local capacity by enabling the two park foundations to share knowledge.
