El Merendon

Growing visitor numbers to El Merendón's natural attractions and cafés—including flower farms, mountain biking, and hiking—have prompted police to increase patrols to protect tourists and local entrepreneurs in the mountain communities.

Police and prosecutors executed searches in Peñitas Arriba (El Merendón, San Pedro Sula) to dismantle the gang led by 'Juan El Malón,' accused of murders and terror that forced over 26 families to flee the community.

Civil-society organizations and lawmakers in Cortés are challenging the Forestry Conservation Institute's plan to redefine the boundaries of the El Merendón protected forest reserve, arguing it would benefit private real-estate projects while the reserve supplies 80% of San Pedro Sula's water and is vital to regional biodiversity.

The Public Ministry's environmental crimes unit is investigating the construction of a house and viewing platforms in Las Peñitas village within the El Merendón protected reserve near San Pedro Sula.

Carlos Alberto Arriaga, 52, a produce seller at El Rápido market, was killed by shotgun fire on Saturday morning in the Las Peñitas neighborhood; police have not disclosed a motive or identified suspects.

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.

Honduras's Forest Conservation Institute (ICF) confirmed that the El Merendón protected reserve near San Pedro Sula will remain under municipal management following public opposition to a proposal that would have changed its legal status.