News
New magnolia tree species discovered in northern Honduras
Fauna & Flora’s in-country partner in Honduras has discovered a new species of magnolia.
From rainforest to reef
With its mountainous interior, narrow coastal plains, long Caribbean shoreline and Pacific coast, Honduras boasts a variety of landscapes and seascapes. These marine, terrestrial and freshwater habitats have created ideal conditions for biodiversity to thrive.
However, this astonishing biodiversity is under severe threat. Offshore, harmful and unsustainable fishing practices are driving declines in Honduras’s rich marine life, and aggressive coastal development decimates sandy coastline and mangroves crucial for hawksbill and iguana nesting. Rapid deforestation driven particularly by agricultural expansion not only threatens forest-dependent plants and animals, but also has a knock-on effect on the country’s freshwater and marine habitats.
Poorly implemented environmental legislation and associated problems such as unsustainable development, pollution and illegal hunting also pose serious threats.
What wildlife does Honduras support?
Honduras is home to 220 species of mammal, 770 birds, 275 reptiles and over 150 amphibian species. Many of these, especially its reptiles and amphibians, are endemic – found nowhere else on Earth.
Honduras’s offshore islands are a haven for rare and threatened endemic species including the Utila spiny-tailed iguana, while its coastal waters harbour the endangered Antillean manatee and the critically endangered hawksbill turtle. Its rocky coral habitats, at the southern end of the Mesoamerican Reef, harbour vibrant fish upon which local communities depend for food and income.
The country’s forests are home to many iconic species, from brightly coloured tree frogs and parrots to sloths, tapirs, primates (such as capuchins and howler monkeys) and a variety of cat species including ocelot, puma and jaguar. Honduras boasts almost 8,000 plant species, including over 600 kinds of orchid and 12 magnolia species, one of which was discovered as recently as 2023.
Utila spiny-tailed iguana. © mitzo_bs / Adobe Stock
The critically endangered Utila spiny-tailed iguana, named after the small Honduran island to which the entire species is confined.
Fauna & Flora’s work in Honduras
The initial focus of Fauna & Flora’s work in Honduras, which began in 2011, was marine protected area management. More recently, our programme of work has expanded to include forest protection, with a focus on threatened tree species.
We now work with seven in-country partners and coastal communities in five protected areas within the globally important Mesoamerican Reef, the largest barrier reef in the western hemisphere, and Pico Bonito National Park, a stunning mountain range that forms part of the Mesoamerican Corridor. Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge, Bay Islands Marine National Park and Cayos Cochinos Marine National Monument comprise a rich tapestry of interconnected coastal wetlands, mangrove forests and coral reefs that support an impressive array of species.
Together with our partners, we are working to improve conservation by supporting community-led initiatives on the coast and in the mountains, while also empowering marginalised groups such as women and young people to participate in decision-making.
At the heart of our work are responsible fisheries and participatory governance, as well as targeted initiatives to protect species most under threat, such as the Utila spiny-tailed iguana and a newly discovered magnolia. This programme is crucial for the enduring resilience of marine resources and threatened tree species, from the Mesoamerican Reef to the mountain peaks of Pico Bonito.
Fauna & Flora is truly putting locally led conservation into practice in an exclusively Honduran partner-led programme that weaves together community, terrestrial and marine initiatives across five protected areas, seven partners and approximately 30 communities.
Hazel Akester
Programme Manager, Americas & Caribbean
Fauna & Flora is truly putting locally led conservation into practice in an exclusively Honduran partner-led programme that weaves together community, terrestrial and marine initiatives across five protected areas, seven partners and approximately 30 communities.
Hazel Akester
Programme Manager, Americas & Caribbean
Our work in Honduras
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