Port Royal
National Park
Port Royal National Park (PNPR) covers an area of 499.59 ha that extends over the municipality of Santos Guardiola and includes terrestrial habitats, a buffer zone of 34.73 ha and a core zone of 464.86 ha. It is surrounded by local communities in Punta Gorda, Calabash Bight, Diamond Rock, and New Port Royal, among others.
The protected area is a natural reserve of mixed forest where Pinus caribaea var. Hondurensis is found in association with broadleaf forest, savannas and scrub, which have survived naturally despite soil conditions and meteorological phenomena (wind tensor) in the northeast, southeast and south of the PNPR there are patches of savannah with a characteristic vegetative cover of trees and shrubs. These ecosystems provide habitat, connectivity sites, and resting areas for several species, including the Amazona auropalliata.
It is an important area for the water reserve, as it flows through more than a dozen small streams to the coast, including scenic value because it forms coastal waterfalls of great tourist importance.
Why we do it?
The management of Port Royal National Park is focused on ensuring the integrity of the conservation values; therefore, BICA, as co-manager of the protected area, implements a series of environmental projects for the protection and conservation of the ecosystems identified in the park within the framework of the different programs established in the park's management plan.
Within the Protection and Surveillance Program, conservation projects for the Yellow-naped Parrot (Amazona auropalliata) are implemented through monitoring and installation of nests to increase the parrot population; establishment of a native plant nursery for reforestation of pine (Pinus caribaea) within the protected area and areas of influence. There are also two resource guards who carry out trail maintenance, control, and surveillance activities.
As part of the Environmental Education Program, educational talks are given in schools in the protected area's area of influence to promote the protection and conservation of natural resources and species of great importance to the park, as well as guided tours of the park to encourage students to directly experience the important ecosystems and landscapes.
The Community Development Program visits the communities located in the protected area's zone of influence (Diamond Rock, Camp Bay, New Port Royal) and works with the community leaders and fishermen through the Community Scientists, who are young residents of these communities and carry out environmental awareness and livelihood activities.
As part of the monitoring and research program, flora studies and inventories have been carried out, as well as an inventory of fauna such as birds and reptiles in order to learn about and identify the protected area's wildlife.
What are we doing?
Port Royal National Park provides ecosystem services, such as fresh water from the wells located around the protected area, which depend largely on the water filtration process that occurs in the park. It is also a habitat for native and endemic and/or endangered flora and fauna species.
Population growth, urban development, and real estate development threaten the protected area, which leads to anthropogenic activities such as logging for the construction of houses and agricultural practices, illegal hunting within the protected area's borders, and the latent threat of forest fires.
Therefore, our programs focus on reducing, controlling, and adapting to natural and human threats that affect or could potentially jeopardize the viability of the conservation values, and therefore the ecosystem goods and services they provide for the benefit of neighboring communities.
How you can help?
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Report any illegal event against the environment such as: burning of forests and capture of organisms to the cell phone number +504-9796-9956.
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Call the pertinent authorities before carrying out any project (construction) or activity inside Port Royal National Park.
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Do not introduce exotic species as they do not live in their natural habitat and compete with or prey on native species.
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Report the hunting of native and endemic species.
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Do not buy or sell native or endemic fauna.
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Report logging and burning activities to the competent authorities such as the Institute of Forest Conservation, Protected Areas and Wildlife (ICF) at +504 2408-4910 ext. 152; or to our NGO at +504 9796-9956.
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Support BICA's forest and native plant nursery maintenance activities and the recovery activities of affected areas.
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Donate to BICA to continue with the programs implemented in the protected area.
Ways to Give
Join us in protecting the stunning marine and coastal biodiversity of the Bay Islands in Honduras by supporting our conservation efforts and safeguarding the future of our oceans for generations to come.
