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Caribbean biological corridor in Honduras being promoted as pilot program

Through several work processes and initiatives, the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor Project (CBM) in Honduras is promoting and developing a platform to establish the Caribbean Biological Corridor in our country. 

The basic goal is to establish a Caribbean Biological Corridor as a national pilot program to carry out conservation and sustainable development (socio-economic) activities on the Caribbean coast of Honduras. This would be achieved within the parameters established by national and regional CBM initiatives, sponsored by the United Nations, the Global Environmental Fund and the World Bank, amongst others.

This regional project is being established with government support from the Secretary of Environment and National Resources (SERNA), and National Forestry Agency (AFE-COHDEFOR) through the Protected Areas and Wildlife Department and the CBM office in Honduras. Municipal governments are other possible allies, as well as the Honduran Foundation of Ecological Organizations for Sustainable Development (REHDES), conformed of six conservation non-governmental organizations or NGO's, as well as regional associations, the private sector and local grass roots groups.

The CBM project and REHDES have agreed to promote this initiative and recently in the city of La Ceiba, on April 12-13, a workshop for the establishment of the Caribbean Biological Corridor in Honduras was held. Participants outlined structure and organization, strategies, and institutional agreements for 2002, as well as identified potential donors.
The proposed Caribbean Biological Corridor in Honduras was defined as: A sub-system of territory composed of protected natural areas under special management (agreements and management categories), nucleus zones, buffer zones, multiple use and linking areas, organized and consolidated to provide environmental goods and services to society and general interest groups; provide investments in conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources, with the objective of improving the quality of life of the region's inhabitants.

The Honduran Foundation of Ecological Organizations for Sustainable Development (REHDES) is a regional institution allied to the project initiative Consolidation of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor.