Honduras Environment News

A National Congress member from Yoro has called on Honduras's Forest Conservation Institute to take drastic measures to halt the spread of the destructive bark beetle pest, which threatens forests nationwide.

Honduras's naval forces seized a fishing vessel near Cayo Savanna in Gracias a Dios and confiscated 1,200 pounds of lobster and 1,000 pounds of conch caught during the closed season, after crew members allegedly attempted to bribe authorities with 80,000 lempiras (about $3,200).

Agriculture Minister Moisés Molina says three cloud-seeding flights have shown favorable results in drought-prone areas, with half the planned flights still to come and officials evaluating whether to expand the program, which is partly funded by sugar and vegetable producers.

Three men were detained in Juticalpa, Olancho, after police found two dead white-tailed deer and firearms in their vehicle during a departmental police operation.

The José Cecilio del Valle reservoir on the Río Grande Nacaome in southern Honduras has recovered to full capacity following recent rains, restoring water supplies to municipalities in Valle and Choluteca departments and supporting agricultural irrigation and hydroelectric generation.

Juticalpa Mayor Wagner Castro said that high fuel prices and severe drought are damaging agricultural output across Olancho, with corn and bean crops hit hardest and livestock suffering malnutrition from lack of feed.

Honduras has completed 10 of 20 planned flights to seed clouds with silver iodide across eight drought-stricken departments, covering 1.8 to 2.3 million hectares, as officials evaluate whether the intervention is increasing rainfall.

Honduras and the United Nations are mobilizing international support to address a drought emergency affecting food security, crop losses, and water shortages in the hardest-hit communities.

Honduras's fire department safely captured and relocated three boa constrictors found in homes in Tela and Talanga and under a taxi in Comayagua, transferring each snake to appropriate wildlife habitat.

Honduras has completed eight cloud-seeding flights using silver iodide in drought-stricken regions including the Dry Corridor, with twelve operations remaining pending suitable atmospheric conditions; farmers report heavier rainfall after roughly ten months of drought.

National Congress member Juan Sauceda of Colón warned that deforestation could intensify future droughts and called for forest protection and adaptation measures such as silvopastoral systems and livestock feed reserves.

The Public Ministry's environmental prosecutors arrested eight people caught clearing protected forest in Esquías, Comayagua, to plant crops; satellite monitoring had flagged the site.

The Public Ministry's environmental unit filed charges against Olman Osorto Cruz and his son Sergio Gustavo Osorto Guzmán for illegal forest exploitation in Las Peñitas, with evidence gathered in July raids; both men also face murder charges.

As sargassum blooms hit Honduran Caribbean coasts, a national strategy launched in August aims to move beyond cleanup toward productive uses—following Mexico's research showing the seaweed contains valuable nutrients for agriculture, biofuel, and industrial applications.

Community leaders in Puerto Cortés are demanding that authorities revoke the environmental license and mining rights of Agregados del Caribe (Agrecasa) over irreversible damage to water sources, air quality, and public health documented in state agency reports.

An environmental leader in El Salvador has called for dialogue with Honduras and Central American coordination to address Honduras's cloud-seeding operations with silver iodide, warning that weather modification could alter rainfall patterns across the region.

Honduras's Environmental Police (DPI) have arrested 97 people for environmental crimes so far in 2026, according to the National Police.

The National Congress began first reading of a framework bill to combat climate change through national policy, emissions controls, and international-treaty compliance, introduced by Partido Nacional congressman Jonathan Laínez.

A man has been formally charged with illegal urbanization and aggravated damage to public property in a protected forest area near Tatumbla, according to the Special Environmental Prosecutor.

The Public Ministry's environmental prosecutor in San Pedro Sula is ordering the municipal authority to clear a dangerous accumulation of garbage in Cofradía within 48 hours, citing health risks from contamination, vector breeding, and threats to water sources.

Rural families from Honduras's drought-stricken Dry Corridor region brought their plight to Congress, citing crop losses, water scarcity, and pressure from extractive projects, and secured a commitment for broader dialogue on food security and livelihood protection.

The Lancetilla Botanical Garden and Research Center, a landmark institution in Honduras since 1926, celebrated its centennial with a commemorative ceremony honoring a century of contributions to biodiversity, environmental education, and forest conservation.

NASA and Mexican university satellites provide near-daily tracking of sargassum accumulations drifting across the Caribbean toward Honduras's northern coast, with public tools like UNAM's Sargassum Viewer allowing beachgoers to monitor patches and check their distance from shore.

Tegucigalpa's two largest reservoirs remain critically low—La Concepción at 24.74% and Los Laureles at 28.05% of capacity—forcing water-distribution cycles to stretch from 9 to 12 days as officials await sustained rainfall to replenish supplies.

Tegucigalpa's two main reservoirs are projected to recover to 60% capacity (Los Laureles) and 40% (La Concepción) by the end of the rainy season, but officials warn rationing will continue through April 2027 to ensure supply during the dry months.

Military environmental patrols found about two manzanas of illegally cleared forest near a river in La Masica, Atlántida, and announced an investigation to establish responsibility.

Military patrols halted the illegal clearing of about 8 acres (two manzanas) of forest in La Másica, Atlántida, where workers were felling large timber trees and converting land for farming near Río Cuero, a watershed officials say is vital to the community's water supply and flood protection.

The Los Laureles and La Concepción dams that supply Tegucigalpa hold just 27.48% and 24.67% of capacity respectively as of September 24, keeping water rationing in effect across the capital with service cycles reaching up to 12 days.

The government is beginning a three-month cloud-seeding operation using silver iodide to stimulate rainfall in agricultural and water-supply areas, with a Mexican company conducting up to 20 flights at a cost of roughly $600,000–$700,000.

President Asfura attended the EU's Global Green Bonds Initiative launch at the UN General Assembly in New York, pitching Honduras's climate and water challenges to attract sustainable investment.