Honduras Environment News

A grain producer warns that an extended dry season from mid-July through early October, driven by climate change and El Niño, could reduce maize and bean output by roughly two million quintals (about 90,000 metric tons) in the dry corridor, deepening food insecurity for subsistence farming families.

Thousands of Eunica monima butterflies have swarmed Tegucigalpa and other parts of Honduras in an unusually intense annual migration that specialists link to climate shifts and accelerated breeding favored by heat waves followed by brief rains.

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.

An aerial reconnaissance by Honduras's military environmental battalion found three active illegal mining sites with at least 10 workers and seven floating dredges in the Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve, plus an illegal road network facilitating deforestation in Gracias a Dios.

Honduras's environmental prosecutor's office is inspecting a warehouse under construction in the Panacam protected area near Santa Cruz de Yojoa, Cortés, to determine whether it violates environmental boundaries.

Monitoring by the Roatan Marine Park reveals sargassum seaweed is spreading into northern and western zones of Roatán where concentrations were historically low, with climate instability making the algae's behavior harder to predict and manage.

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.

The president of Honduras's association of artisanal and small-scale miners says the government loses up to $250 million annually in tax revenue due to illegal mining operations.

A forestry engineer warns that El Niño arriving earlier than usual from June through September will reduce water supplies for drinking and power generation, harm planting of beans and corn, and increase wildfire risk across Honduras.

Coastal erosion in Cedeño, on the Gulf of Fonseca, has pushed back the shoreline 135 meters since 2004, destroying homes and livelihoods and driving young people to migrate abroad in search of economic survival.

Honduran coffee exporters say all the country's coffee farms are prepared for evaluation under new European Union requirements that ban imports from land cleared of forest, a standard for selling into European markets.

An Environmental Protection Battalion patrol in Las Agujas, Catacamas, Olancho stopped the illegal felling of about 98 mixed hardwood trees following a citizen report; two chainsaws were seized and the suspects fled.

CESPAD will present its 2025 report on social, territorial, and environmental conflicts in Honduras on June 23 in Tegucigalpa, covering key territories, actors, and economic dynamics driving conflict nationwide.

Honduras's atmospheric agency confirmed the onset of an extreme El Niño phase, potentially bringing prolonged drought, high temperatures, and water scarcity that could affect agriculture, livestock, hydroelectric power, and drinking water for millions of Hondurans over the next year.

The Special Environmental Protection Unit of the Public Prosecutor's Office is collecting water samples in the Medina neighborhood of Puerto Cortés to investigate possible contamination, working with CESCCO and the municipal environmental office.

A sentencing court in San Pedro Sula acquitted Jorge Rigoberto Vásquez Corea of aggravated illegal natural-resource extraction, citing insufficient evidence to overcome the presumption of innocence.

The Marine Studies Center, a co-manager of a national marine park in the Bay Islands, is training fishers on responsible practices—including hook types, seasons, and minimum catch sizes—to protect fish stocks and ensure long-term food security.

A collaborative investigation by Contracorriente and partners documents how companies in the EMCO mining group funded coordinated social-media campaigns branding Guapinol river defenders as "fake environmentalists" — a pattern linked to the killing of three activists and the exile of more than 400 others.

Environmental prosecutors inspected the protected zone of the Río Oloma in El Negrito, Yoro, after a report of illegal cutting of mahogany, hormigo, and sangre trees.

A cross-border investigation by Latin American journalists found that environmental defenders in Honduras, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Brazil, and Panama face coordinated online harassment, doxxing, and death threats designed to discredit them, yet most countries lack adequate legal protections against digital violence.

Indigenous Maya Chortí communities in Copán are filing a nullity action against Minosa's 30-year mining concession extension, arguing the company improperly invoked an automatic administrative approval (afirmativa ficta) without meeting legal requirements or consulting affected populations.

Military forces seized 126 pieces of milled pine wood and two chainsaws during an operation in Olancho and arrested a man suspected of illegal logging that damages Honduras's natural resources.

The Bay Islands hosted Ocean Fest, the third annual festival organized by the Tourism Free Zone to teach children and young people about ocean and ecosystem protection, bringing together environmental organizations, schools, and businesses to promote marine conservation.

Polo's Water, which serves West End on Roatán Island, is expanding wastewater treatment, micrometering, and environmental education to ensure 24/7 potable water access while reducing waste and protecting local ecosystems.

Plantatón HN handed out more than 3,500 free seedlings to residents of Tegucigalpa on Sunday, with plans to continue monthly distributions through November to boost reforestation and environmental awareness.

Honduras's agricultural science agency is strengthening the genetic traits of corn, rice, and beans to improve their resilience to drought and climate-change impacts.

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.

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.

Residents of Azacualpa, Copán, elected a Maya-Chortí Indigenous Council to defend their territory against Minosa, which continues operating despite its concession expiring in 2023 and having destroyed the community's ancestral cemetery.

Honduras's Environmental Prosecutor has obtained formal charges against two men for illegal nonmetallic mining extraction in Lepaterique, a municipality in Francisco Morazán Department.