The Natural Resources (NR) program of the Association of Environmental Promoters of Honduras (APAH) uses its expertise in natural resource management and participatory learning to support and empower communities, organizations, and institutions in conservation and local regenerative development projects, creating a greener and more resilient world for all.
NR maintains strong links with specialists from the United States Forest Service (USFS), as well as with various partners, to develop, implement, and support training, research, project management, and coordination programs throughout the country.
The program also has the experience and commitment of the 200 members of APAH (graduates of Youth for Conservation Honduras) through their regional groups to support the design and implementation of activities, guaranteeing their quality, impact, and local participation.
Fire Specialist Erlin Espinoza, greeting the Fire Department during a field activity during the Fire Academy.
Leaders of national institutions and organizations conducting field activities during the S-130 fire certification.
The Natural Resources program focuses on the following natural resource management topics:
—> Environmental education —> Forest fire management —> Watershed restoration —> Reforestation —> Livelihoods —> Trail construction —> Environmental assessments —> Protected areas —> Institutional coordination
Currently, RRNN collaborates with public and private sector partners to design and implement high-impact programs nationwide in Honduras.
Environmental Promoter and Youth Mentor Dany Yaneth Reyes, during a collaborative work activity for teachers at a school in La Labor, Ocotepeque.
Currently, RRNN collaborates with public and private sector partners to design and implement high-impact programs at the national level in Honduras.
Gender and Community Program - FAO MUCAPAZ
The MUCAMPAZ project, funded by the Government of Honduras and the United Nations, is implemented by ICF, UN Women, FAO, and Ayuda en Acción.
With the advice of APAH and the U.S. Forest Service, a consultancy was developed to strengthen climate adaptation and conflict resolution with a gender perspective in six agroforestry cooperatives in the departments of El Paraíso and Francisco Morazán located in Central and Southern Honduras.
For two months, the work focused on identifying environmental conflicts, women's productive roles, knowledge gaps, and climate-smart agroforestry practices. Through participatory workshops and field trips, experiences to improve resilience and climate security were documented, prioritizing the empowerment of women partners in the project landscape.
Sammir Díaz, Human Resources Specialist, conducting a team-building activity with female leaders at one of the six agroforestry cooperatives in the department of El Paraíso.
Human Resources specialists working on data collection at an agroforestry farm in Francisco Morazán
The Merendón Reserve - Cervecería Hondureña
APAH's RRNN team is collaborating with the Cervecería Hondureña (Honduran Brewery Foundation) to develop an integrated management plan for a 1,800-hectare forest. This plan includes prevention and natural resource protection measures that will also impact the communities in the Merendón Reserve area located in the mountain region of San Pedro Sula.
The Foundation, through the Honduran Brewery, also provided scholarships to young people from the Merendón communities to participate in the JPC program. The plan aims to train and empower them to lead the actions outlined in the management plan, which includes forest fire prevention measures and an environmental education program aimed at schools and community organizations.
The Honduran Brewery has been a strong partner for APAH in implementing the JPC. In addition to providing scholarships to young people from Merendón, it has also supported the program's operations.
The representative of the Honduran Brewery Foundation along with the young people the foundation funded during a reforestation activity on the slopes of Merendón.
Communities have been trained and benefited during the reforestation activity.
Curriculo y Calificaciones Standarizado - USFS y ICF
Emergency management and forest fire response in Honduras require efficient and safe management of available human and technical resources.
In this context, the Honduran Standardized Curriculum and Qualification System for Fire Management (SHCCEGF) emerges as a key tool for professionalizing and accrediting response personnel, ensuring that their skills, certifications, and experience meet national and international standards.
This technical-operational system, based on the principles of the Incident Command System (ICS), promotes efficiency, safety, and inter-institutional coordination in fire management by establishing a single initial qualification process that recognizes the experience and prior training of personnel who have historically participated in forest fire suppression.
In coordination with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), the Honduran Forest Conservation Institute (ICF), and other partners, APAH is working to support the implementation of the SHCCEGF through a Recognition of Prior Learning (RAP) process. The RAP seeks to formally validate the knowledge acquired in the field, identify the most experienced technicians in the country, and form the first group of SHCCEGF evaluators and raters, who will be responsible for assessing and accrediting future members of the system.
This process will not only document the accumulated experience of operational personnel but will also consolidate the institutional foundations to strengthen national capacity in wildfire prevention, control, and response.
Natural Resources Specialists during one of the multiple meetings for the formation of SCCE in Honduras.
Honduras National Firefighter representative during the many coordination meetings with USFS and ICF
For more information about the work of the Natural Resources Program, please contact APAH leadership.
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