Biodiversity

HonduHerp, a nonprofit founded in 2023 by Honduran and US scientists, protects reptile and amphibian species through land conservation, community education, and research, including a 30-hectare cloud-forest reserve in Copán that shelters the jade pit viper, a venomous species whose presence signals healthy forest ecosystems.

Hondurodendron urceolatum, a tree species discovered between 2004 and 2006 and officially described in 2010, exists nowhere on Earth except in Cusuco National Park in Cortés, underscoring the biodiversity value of Honduras's cloud forests.

Honduras's fire service reports over 900 wild animals rescued this season as spreading blazes destroy habitats, drive deer and owls into urban areas, and dry up streams and springs that communities rely on for drinking water and farming.