Ecobreves – HONDURAS: External Aid for Disasters and Security

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

TEGUCIGALPA, Jun 22 2012 (IPS) - The World Bank has announced the approval of 80 million dollars in new loans for Honduras, which will be primarily invested in natural disaster prevention and public security. Giuseppe Zampanglione, the World Bank representative in Honduras, told Tierramérica that additional efforts and policies are needed to mitigate disaster risks, since this country is considered the world’s third most vulnerable to extreme weather events.

The reasons behind its vulnerability include the loss of 60,000 hectares of forest annually due to illegal logging and forest fires, according to figures from the Forest Conservation Institute, a government agency.

More effective environmental policies must be implemented to ensure sustainable use of the country’s natural resources, said Zampanglione.