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José
Arnoldo Triminio has a new job with a promising
future, both for himself and his environment.
The native of northern Honduras’ Atlantic coast
is one of several new bilingual park guides
at Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge, a beautiful
wetlands area near the city of La Ceiba. Since
early 1997, USAID/Honduras has provided funding
to Fundación Cuero y Salado, the local
NGO that manages the refuge. Recognizing that
the key to successful park management is local
community involvement, USAID sponsored a partnership
between the local NGO and U.S. counterpart RARE
Center for Tropical Conservation under which
RARE provides local residents with intensive
language and nature training. As a result, Triminio
has become one of a growing number of people
who have a stake in preserving their environment
rather than despoiling it.
Through
projects like this one, USAID/Honduras is helping
the country expand and improve management of
protected areas and forests. Important progress
has been made in developing the capacity and
commitment of public and private sector organizations
and individuals to properly manage Honduras’
natural resources and to prevent and prepare
for future environmental disasters. As of 2001,
32,000 hectares of forestland had been converted
to sustainable management, and 6,500 hectares
of farmland had adopted land and soil conserving
technologies.
USAID
supported programs have increased the number
of protected areas from 13 to 20. Through USAID
assistance, 17 NGOs have become capable of effectively
managing protected areas, and 118,000 hectares
of protected area have been brought under effective
management. Forestry activities of the National
Forestry Science School have resulted in an
improved technical capacity in watershed management
in 20 municipal governments and 43 local communities
and eight Municipal Environmental Units have
significantly improved.
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