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Hungry for change
Protected area and Ramsar Site 1000, La
Barberie, has been destroyed by the shrimp company El Faro
By NICHOLAS TAYLOR
TEGUCIGALPA — The beauty and tranquility of the Gulf of Fonseca may well
disappear forever if increasing expansion of shrimp farming doesn’t cease
immediately. The Gulf is located on the Pacific Ocean of Central America.
The 5000-squared kilometers of coastline, which touches Nicaragua, El
Salvador and Honduras is an ecological haven. The coast is brimming with a
plethora of flora and fauna, surrounded by expansive mangroves, natural
lagoons and exquisite estuaries.
However the shrimp farms are steadily eating into the already overly
molested landscape, having dyer effects on the ecology leading to the
degradation of the fresh water lands, salts marshes, mangroves and coastal
forests. Pesticides and antibiotics, which are added to the shrimp ponds,
pollute water leaving it unfit for drinking and bathing. Furthermore
conflict and delinquency have erupted in these coastal communities. Rape,
arson and all manner of violent attacks have become worryingly commonplace.
Nevertheless there is hope. The Convention on wetlands signed a treaty that
has devised a skeleton plan for the conservation and beneficial use of the
wetlands and resources in Ramsar, Iran 1971. Currently there are 136 parties
within the convention protecting 1267 wetland sites. The Committee for the
Defense and Sustainable Development of the Flora and Fauna of the Fonseca
Gulf (CODDEFFAGOLF) is the body that closely monitors the Honduran portion
of the Gulf of Fonseca.
This non-governmental organization believes in sustainable use of natural
resources, and encourages economic growth in rural areas of the Gulf, based
on environmental and social considerations. The Director of CODDEFFAGOLF,
Mr. Jorge Varela, has been fighting against the shrimp farming companies
such as “El Faro” to expose them for what they have done. After interviewing
Mr. Jorge Varela it became obvious that extreme human right violations have
been taking place. “The companies are guilty of taking away the livelihoods
of conventional fisherman,” Varela complains, “they are depriving the locals
of their own land.”
In the same way the government unconditionally supports the shrimp farmers.
However at no time has there been any offers of financial or technical
support to the fishermen and communities.
Varela also added that not once have human right issues been addressed.
It seems that the government finds it impossible to see into the future,
they are looking for financial gain and large corporations offer them this
easily and quickly, without considering the long-term consequences of their
actions.
Jorge Varela want to see steps taken immediately to try and revert at least
some of the ecological damage being caused by this kind of farming. “The
only way forward is to do away with the conventional style of shrimp farming
in ponds and instead of ransacking the landscape, working with what is
already there, and farming shrimps in natural lagoons,” he said.
For a cause that at times truly seems hopeless, it takes men such as Jorge
Varela who are willing to put their neck on the line to make a difference
even if it means being subject to threats of imprisonment and murder.
Without committees such as his we can say good bye to the diminishing
wetlands of the Gulf of Fonseca.
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Environmental awareness for sustainable life
 Aerial
view of Punta Sal and the Laguna de Los Micos
By ZOE HOLLIDAY and
MARIA FIALLOS
TELA — The area surrounding Tela Bay hides an abundance of natural beauty.
The diversity of flora and fauna has lead to the creation of different parks
in the last few years: the Jeanette Kawas National Park, the Punta Izopo
Wildlife Reserve and the Texiguat Wildlife Reserve. These, along with the
renowned Lancetilla Botanical Garden that was established in 1925, are
managed by PROLANSATE, the Foundation for the Protection of Lancetilla,
Punta Sal and Texiguat, in conjunction with the National Forestry Service’s
Department of Protected Areas (PROBAP).
 The
manatee is in endanger of extinction
Current inventories of fauna species in the Tela
parks are extremely rich, and vital to conserving regional biodiversity,
such as the manatee, dolphins, crocodiles, marine turtles, several species
of fish, native and migratory land and sea birds. Preservation of flora is
equally important to maintaining the delicate balance of these tropical
ecosystems.
Dennis Sierra, PROLANSATE park director, says that although the parks´
forests are well preserved, the area still faces many difficulties. Flooding
during Hurricane Mitch in 1998 was accentuated by deforestation, erosion and
badly managed watersheds. Forty percent of the park forests were severely
damaged. Therefore, it is vital that inhabitants learn to utilize resources
in a sustainable manner to avoid such catastrophes in the future.
Hurricane Mitch was not the only problem that the parks have encountered.
Many of the coconut trees in the area have been infected by the fatal
yellowing disease, which causes them to drop their fruits, their leaves, and
ultimately die. This has grave consequences for the Garifuna community,
which relies on the coconut as a staple product, to make oil, bread and
sweets for personal consumption and to sell. As a result, over fishing has
put a strain on resources. PROLANSATE has worked with members of the
community, incorporating them as guides, interpreters and guards. They have
also encouraged the planting of varieties of coconut tree resistant to
combat the disease, and worked with the fishermen to ensure they use
environmentally friendly nets.
The employment of local community member as guards has been successful in
overcoming such problems as poaching that has caused the tapir and the
anteater to disappear from Punta Sal.
The protected areas have all evolved over the last few years, not all in
particularly beneficial ways. For example, Juan Martinez, guide and
interpreter of Punta Sal, spoke of the way in which locals around the lagoon
in the Jeanette Kawas National Park used to interact with the manatees and
dolphins.
Now interaction is limited to the pelicans. For years, the inhabitants have
also eaten iguanas, but the population boom has caused the creatures to die
out everywhere except for the park areas. It is for this reason that the
implementation of a program to educate those who come into contact with the
parks is a natural and necessary progression.
PROLANSATE this week launched their educational program, in which they will
train students about the variety of wildlife in the national parks through a
variety of different methods including social theater and group dress-up
games. The initiative, which is aimed at all ages of students, will
incorporate community campaigns, training in environmental themes, and tours
of the local parks, as well as others in the country. This, they hope, will
help the children to develop into future environmental leaders.
The pilot project will work with the high school Instituto Triunfo de la
Cruz and five rural schools. 25 leaders and teachers from neighboring
communities will also be trained as environmental promoters in their area.
Workshops will also be held, educating locals on subjects such as fish
culture, how to install a more efficacious wood burning stove, civil rights,
environmental duties, legislation, basic sanitation and soil conservation
techniques, amongst others.
This instruction is crucial to ‘improve the quality of life of the
inhabitants of Tela Bay and for the sustainable management of the protected
area’ – bringing PROLANSATE’s mission statement to life.
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