Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

In 2012, the nest of a harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja), among the largest extant species of eagles in the world, was reported in a remote sector of the Patuca National Park [ ] 120 Progress towards the goals of the programme of work on protected areas In order to create and strengthen national and regional systems of pro- tected areas and integrate them into a global network as a contribution to the worldwide agreed goals, the SINAPH (New National Park System) strategic plan was created for a period of 10 years, 2010–2020, and examines 16 strategic guidelines. The theme of the protected areas in Honduras has been incorporated into sectoral policies and programmes such as agriculture, forestry and fisheries, and has recently been the subject of attention within the framework of free trade agreements, particularly in CAFTA-DR. It is also considered in the strategies of sustainable tourism, ecotourism, payment of environmental goods and services, poverty reduction and the Millennium Development Goals. It is also considered in the national plan that is being developed and will be decreed as law by the National Congress. An assessment was made of the effectiveness of the manage- ment in 2007 based on information gathered six years earlier, and a new assessment is currently being com- piled from evaluations made in 2008. These are expected to be published in the Mesoamerican Congress on Protected Areas The initiative of private landowners has been strengthened in the private reserve network, which complements the work of the public sector. Lack of financial resources remains the main obstacle, in particular to cover the recurrent costs of the system and for the ongoing development of research programmes. Initiatives continue to depend on international cooperation, but efforts are being made to strengthen the protected areas and Wildlife Fund in order to increase the national contri- bution. Current priorities include the strengthening of local actors, particu- larly organizations of various kinds, as well as of local governments in their capacity to manage and imple- ment projects; and the strengthening and support of research institutions. D ue to its geographical location, the Republic of Honduras has widespread biological diversity resulting from the convergence of its tropical and subtropical ecosystems that are terrestrial, marine-coastal and freshwater. These environments have favoured the existence of endemic species concentrated in sites considered as hotspots, with environmental conditions not disturbed by anthropogenic activities, especially in mountains with cloud forests of over 1,000ha. The country’s biological diversity has been widely used traditionally by indigenous peoples as a means to complement the traditional diet, especially in areas with forest coverage and with communities in the coastal- marine zone. A harpy eagle’s nest (Harpia harpyja) in a remote area of ​Patuca National Park Image: H. Dohlen Honduras