Beginning in 2013, seven protected areas in Honduras will be managed by seven environmental organizations, who will be officially responsible for their protection. The seven areas are in the north, center, west and south of the country, and their management has been granted to the NGOs by the governmental Forest Conservation Institute (ICF), said environmentalist Jorge Varela of the Committee for the Defense and Development of the Flora and Fauna of the Gulf of Fonseca, on the country’s Pacific coast.

The areas encompassed are the mangrove forests of southern Honduras, the mangrove forests on the Gulf of Fonseca, La Tigra National Park, Cerro Azul Meámbar Park, Yojoa Lake, Montaña de Santa Bárbara National Park, and Colibrí Esmeralda Park.

The ICF vice minister of Protected Areas and Wildlife, José Galdámez, told Tierramérica that the contracts with the NGOs are for one year and will be renewed if the established targets are met. Honduras currently has a total of 91 protected areas.