Bay Islands Conservation Association Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras

One of the main objectives of establishing a protected area is to reduce the impacts of the development by securing protection for an area that is representative of the varied flora and fauna of an area. In 1991, on BICA’s initiative, Utila Municipality established the Turtle Harbour Wildlife Refugee and Marine Reserve, to be managed and protected in collaboration between BICA and the Municipality.

Turtle Harbour includes such diverse ecosystems as coral reefs, mangroves, sea grasses, beaches, iron shore and savannas. This diversity includes a number of endangered and rare species of plants and animals. It covers an area of about 750 hectares.

A field project report developed in 1994 and 1995 by students of the Wildlife Areas Management course (BI-611), taught by the Biology Department of the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH) was the basis for the first Management Plan adopted in 2001, by Paolo Ceratto in collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Society, Coral Cay Conservation and BICA.

In 2002 Bay Islands Environmental Management Project started preparing a long-term management plans for all protected areas in the Bay Islands. The marine protected area has been extended to include both Turtle Harbour and Rock Harbour. Although the new management plans are still in the draft form, they give sufficient tools to BICA to use in its effort to protect, consesrve and promote these precious parts of Utila.