Honduras News – Daily News about Honduras

The Fire Department reported four large-scale forest fires in Tegucigalpa today.

Department spokesperson, Oscar Triminio, said the first fire was located in the area of El Hatillo at 10 am. At last count, the fire consumed about 10 hectares, and the flames have reached the outskirts of Canaan, La Cumbre, and the colony of Villa Delmi. Firefighter Triminio said they used over 80,000 gallons of water which was taken from the water for El Hatillo.

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The Institute of Forestry (ICF) has adopted a new security system to combat illegal trafficking of wood.

The document which records the quantities of timber cut to control exploitation of the forests will be revised.
The document contains innovative measures such as a watermark with the logo of the ICF and other images of the same technology throughout to prevent forgery.
The previous authorization was only a single leaf where one would write the amount of wood cut, along with the signature and seal of the appropriate authority, which made it was easy to duplicate.

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Severe weather struck Honduras last night. High winds of 70km per hour caused damage to trees and electrical lines, affecting at least 80 families.

The Permanent Contingency Commission (COPECO) said this is the 12th cold front of the season, and with it came strong winds, cool temperatures, and forceful rains.

The National Energy Company (ENEE), hopes to restore the service to the hospital Mario Catarino Rivas and the Independent National University of Honduras in the Sula Valley by 4:00 p.m. today. Many other schools were forced to suspend classes due to the energy outages. Two electrical posts in the free zone of Puerto Cortes succumbed to strong winds, leaving communities such as Choloma, and Santa Cruz of Yojoa without electricity.

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Excerpt: Every year, the Honduran government loses six to eight million dollars, and the municipalities around 1.6 million dollars, in unpaid taxes resulting from the illegal timber trade.

Forestry expert Rigoberto Sandoval told Tierramerica that the forest mass and rich diversity that existed two decades ago in this country “have been reduced substantially due to the lack of clear policies.

“The government must urgently take responsibility for its failure to study and inventory the nation’s natural resources. As long as the prevailing attitude is that research funds are an expense rather than an investment, we will continue groping our way blindly with respect to the environment, without stopping to consider that we are losing the country’s natural wealth,” he said…Read Honduran Forest Article Here.

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