9 April 2013: The Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Convention) has reported that the Government of Honduras has designated two new coastal wetlands as Ramsar sites, bringing the total number of Wetlands of International Importance for this country to eight.

According to the Ramsar Secretariat, the first site, Sistema de Humedales Cuyamel-Omoa, a National Park, provides habitat to endangered species of animals and includes part of the Gulf of Honduras, the lowland Cuyamel valley, as well as part of the Sierra de Omoa mountains. The site also supports the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System fisheries, resident and migratory waterbird populations, and sea turtle populations. It plays a role in the regulation of water flux and the prevention of seawater intrusion and contamination of aquifers in the coastal areas. Threats to the site include the expansion of cattle ranching, a growing number of African palm crops, and an expanding construction sector.

The second site, the offshore Sistema de Humedales de la Isla de Utila, comprises the Bahía Islands Marine Park. The area supports numerous fauna and flora species, including some endangered species of sea turtles, birds, fish and shellfish. Tourism, which is carried out on the site, is a threat to its management, as well as urban development.

Honduras’ designations contribute to one of the goals contained in the Ramsar Convention’s Strategic Plan for 2009-2015, which is to reach a protected area of 250 million hectares by 2015. [Ramsar Press Release]