Honduran justice authorities are investigating former foreign minister and retired colonel César Elvir Sierra for the destruction of more than 1,000 pine trees in La Tigra mountain nature reserve, the main “lungs” of the nation's capital. Elvir Sierra, foreign minister from 1980 to 1981, was accused by the Friends of La Tigra (Amitigra) organization in relation to the illegal logging of “endangered pine species,” environmental prosecutor Aldo Santos told Tierramérica.

The accused pleaded innocent in his court statement, but the investigation continues because “there is substantial evidence against him,” said Santos.

The La Tigra reserve is the primary area supplying the watersheds that provide potable water to Tegucigalpa. The area suffered its worst drought this year, blamed on the cyclical meteorological phenomenon known as El Niño and on the effects of climate change.