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Countries Appendix HONDURAS (36.8%) With its varied ecosystems - from montane forests to rainforests to mangrove swamps - and awakening environmental awareness some conservation groups believe Honduras may be poised to follow in the footsteps of Costa Rica. Despite its natural wealth, both mineral and biological, Honduras is one of the poorest countries in Central America. Deforestation is rampant due to agricultural colonization, the collection of fuelwood, mining activities, timber harvesting, and forest fires causing 252,400 acres (102,200 hectares) of forest to disappear each year. Fuelwood is one of the leading causes of deforestation (seven million cubic meters collected each year) because 65% of the country's energy comes from burning wood. The development of conservation groups is important to raising national awareness of the importance of the environment, which at this time is very low. In 1993, the government passed the country's first national environmental law after years of pressure from local environmental groups. Pressure from conservation groups was a large reason why the government canceled a contract with Stone Container Corporation of Chicago (U.S.) to log extensive areas along the Mosquito Coast. However, the conservation effort is not helped when Honduran president Carlos Reina makes statements like, "Ecological worries must not deter a country's development," when he tried to justify allowing 20,000 families to colonize a valley right next to one of Central America's largest parks, the Rio Platano Reserve. The colonists have already moved into the reserve and begun clearing expanses and threatening the local indigenous peoples. Under PLANFOR - the country's forestry action plan for 1996-20215 - hardwood logging will increase dramatically from its traditional level of 2% of total production. This plan will place considerably more pressure on the natural tropical forests in the Northeast of Honduras. Shrimp farming is also putting pressure on the country's natural mangrove forests in the Gulf of Fonseca. In 1998 Hurricane Mitch devastated the Honduran economy, setting some sectors back decades. Most of the damage from flooding and mudslides occurred in deforested regions. Scientists suggest that the death toll and damage bill would have been considerably lower had forested slopes not been striped. . . . . . For current information I highly recommend trying the CIA and FAO links below. |
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