Deforestation

Honduras recorded 1,007 forest fires during the extended dry season, scorching 93,634 hectares nationwide, with Olancho suffering the worst damage and officials warning of serious risks to water supplies.

The arrest this month of the alleged killer of Carlos Luna, a forest-rights activist murdered 28 years ago, has brought some relief to his family and renewed attention to the dangers faced by environmental defenders in Honduras.

A decree transferring authority over the El Merendón mountain range to the national forestry agency ICF has alarmed the local conservation group Guardianes del Merendón, which warns of deforestation and threats to San Pedro Sula's water supply.