Honduras has 20 national parks conserving a wide range of plant and animal species across several types of ecosystems including Caribbean beaches, coastal wetlands, mountainous rainforests, and rugged volcanic peaks.
Understand
[edit]Public conservation areas, including national parks, are administered for the federal government by the Instituto de Conservación Forestal, Áreas Protegidas y Vida Silvestre which is commonly known as the ICF. In addition to national parks, Honduras uses several other classifications for protected natural areas that are administered by ICF. These include forests, natural reserves, monuments, and aquatic areas. Some of these may be of interest to travelers, but most of the natural areas that are commonly visited by travelers are classified as national parks.
Parks
[edit]National parks in Honduras include:
- Capiro Calentura National Park
- Cusuco National Park
- Jeannette Kawas National Park
- Montaña de Botaderos Carlos Escaleras Mejía National Park
- Montaña de Yoro National Park
- Nombre de Dios National Park
- Omoa National Park
- Pico Bonito National Park
- Pico Pijol National Park
- Port Royal National Park
- Punta Izopo National Park
- Rio Kruta National Park
- Celaque National Park
- Cerro Azul de Copán National Park
- Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park
- Congolón, Piedra Parada and Coyocutena National Park
- La Muralla National Park
- La Tigra National Park
- Montaña de Comayagua National Park
- Montaña Santa Bárbara National Park
- Montecristo Trifinio National Park (the Honduran section of Trifinio Fraternidad Biosphere Reserve)
- Patuca National Park
- Sierra de Agalta National Park
There are no national parks in the Pacific region.
Biosphere reserves
[edit]In addition to national parks, Honduras has four large conservation areas that are designated UNESCO Biosphere Reserves.
- Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve - located in the Caribbean region
- Trifinio Fraternidad Biosphere Reserve - located in the Western Highlands, shared with El Salvador and Guatemala
- Cacique Lempira, Senor de las Montanas - located in the Western Highlands
- San Marcos de Colon - located in the Eastern Highlands