| PROJECTS |  |
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Community Development Program, Matamoros Model Farm, Patuca National Park.
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| Description
of project area:
Matamoros and inhabitants of the Cuyamel River. Total project area: 105 hectares or 260 acres, deforested area in photo above. |
| In
1996 the Patuca Foundation received autorization from the Honduran government
to manage 105 hectares of deforested rainforest in Matamorros within the
Patuca National Park. Previously, during 1994, approximately 1/3 of, or
35 hectares of the area was illegally logged and destroyed.
Currently, the Patuca Foundation is establishing the experimental, Matamoros Model Farm in this area. In an attempt to prevent further rainforest destruction, environmentally acceptable, sustainable, agroforestry and agricultural methods are being implemented to help restore and conserve the fragile and degraded soils. These methods permit an ecological harmony between this area and adjacent primary forests. Multi-cropping systems of bananas, avocados, corn, rice, cacao, citrus, and beans will enhance soil conservation as well as promote the sustainable utilization of agricultural resources for the purpose of food security. Sustainable agriculture helps reduce forest degradation by local inhabitants thus preserving the forest and wild life habitats. |
Institutions
involved:
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Ecotourism |
| Description of project area: Patuca National Park |
|
Generations old, indigenous, knowledge systems of forest dwellers, rooted in the ecology, culture and economy of local communities are being lost in Honduras as indigenous cultures succumb to contemporary populations. Economic protection of fragile ecosystems can be be provided through the close monitoring of tourist activities, limiting negative impacts and permiting ecotourism revenue to reach local peoples. The Patuca Foundation implements and promotes, together with Honduran counterparts, income- generating ecotourism projects that seek to increase the input of indigenous knowledge into the process of sustainable development. |
Institutions
involved:
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Environmental Protection through Scientific Research |
| Description of the project area: Rainforests in the Patuca River region. |
| Tropical forests contain unknown, diverse, flora and fauna. Rainforest ecosystems represent invaluable reserves of potential resources for modern medicine. Universities, scientists and the business community, under the auspices of the Patuca Foundation, will be able to conduct scientific research in an effort to conserve the biodiversity of the Honduras' tropical rain forests. |
Institutions
involved:
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For more information about the Patuca Foundation, e-mail us at meso@simon.intertel.hn
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