To guarantee the development and the continued protection of
the Bay Islands, and especially its coral reef, the second largest
in the world, the Tourism Ministry has created a Marine Park
that spans the entire zone.
The Tourism Ministry, as part of its Bay Islands Environmental
Management Program and with funding from the Interamerican
Development Bank (IDB) and the Honduran government, has just
completed three years of scientific study and preparation,
culminating in the publication of an Environmental Management
Directive Guide.
The Guide provides Bay Islands residents with a series of
environmental and socioeconomic measures they can take to
protect and sustain their surroundings and way of life. These
include the management of reef zones, the rehabilitation of
dive buoys, stocking fish for local small-scale fishermen,
creating visitor’s centers, providing incentives for
land owners to respect water basins, training guides and carrying
out environmental programs in schools.
Activities like these will allow municipal authorities to
implement and monitor environmentally sustainable tourism
operations throughout the entire Bay Islands archipelago.
The project’s scope will cover tourist zones and green
areas, as well as urban and industrial zones.
The initiative seeks to sustain and protect the Island’s
natural environment in order to encourage a growing tourist
flow and subsequent economic development.
The Marine Park will be managed locally. Municipal authorities
and local residents will both participate in the decision-making
process. A series of seminars and discussions will help them
create and implement sustainable development plans in Roatan,
Utila and Guanaja.
