Ecobreves – HONDURAS: EU Promotes Environmental Protection

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

TEGUCIGALPA, Feb 27 2006 (IPS) - The European Union will launch a program in March to protect ecosystems in the Caribbean, including the coral reefs shared by Honduras, Guatemala and Belize, said a government source. The Honduran Minister of Public Works, Transport and Housing, Bayardo Pagoada, told Tierramérica that Spanish experts will be arriving here to inventory the marine resources these countries hold in the Golf of Honduras, with sights on designing a program to prevent environmental deterioration of the marine ecosystems.

“They will also make recommendations on how to manage disasters caused by oil spills from tanker ships and will focus especially on the coral reefs,” he said.

The Honduran Caribbean is home to some of the world's most beautiful coral reefs, but they are deteriorating as a result of heavy rains and hurricanes, according to officials.