The conservation of private lands in Honduras began in 2001, in September of that year and with the support of the Department of Protected Areas and Wildlife COHDEFOR (now Institute of Forest Conservation), the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor CBM-SERNA and The Nature Conservancy conforms the provisional executive committee of the Honduran Network of Private Nature Reserves REHNAP, and a plan of action to private initiative of biodiversity conservation in Honduras. Honduran Network of Private Nature Reserves was later established as a central initiative of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor Project which was supported by other projects and international cooperation programs including Project Management of Rural Areas (PAAR / AFE / COHDEFOR / BM ), the nonprofit Regional Environmental Program for Central America (PROARCA), intended to bring together in  one association, a significant number of landowners with interest to promote the conservation and management of natural resources on their properties with the ultimate aim of bringing these to the category of private reserves, considering a number of requirements established for grant category

To date, more than 40 owners identified nationally are covering an area of 45,320.1 hectares. Honduran legislation through the New Law on Forest, Protected Areas and Wildlife No. 98-2007, recognizes the private nature reserve figure, which may be legally recognized by the government of the Republic. As one of the activities under the work program of the CBD in PA, the government of the Honduran Republic promotes the strengthening of management and private conservation initiative, considering that through it can complement the conservation of fragile ecosystems not represented or sub represented ecosystem in the national system of protected areas in Honduras. The results of the analysis indicate that physical vacuum ecosystems are now 12 ecological representatives gaps among which dry forest ecosystems considering it as the most threatened ecosystem level and priority conservation is driven to declare these areas without legal protections as private protected areas. (In which there are many endemic species seriously threatened).
The remnants of dry forest are subject to constant threats from the surrounding productive landscape, due to limited capacities, knowledge and experience of local planners in land use and landscape. << Read less

(1) Encourage private forest conservation in priority representative ecological areas which serve as connecting areas and are identified in the national gap analysis, (2) Develop policies and technical criteria for private conservation management in Honduras, (3) Strengthen capacity for enhanced technical assistance, planning and management of private reserves nationwide, (4) Promote sustainable activities for economic development and environmental sustainability of private nature reserves in the country.

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Private Nature Reserves are distributed largely in Honduran territory, from small forest fragments, to brokers who are vital for water sources and interconnected areas of protected areas, this project seeks to promote participatory conservation through private reserves, focusing on ecosystems that are under-represented or omissions are within the national system of protected areas. According to the results of biophysical analysis of the national system of protected areas in Honduras there are ecosystems that are considered failures in the current system of protected areas. Were analyzed a total of 63 terrestrial ecosystems, water bodies including wetlands, of which 51 have at least 20% present in the 91 protected areas SINAPH. The remaining 12 ecosystems are ecological representativity gaps in Honduras among these include:

1. Deciduous lowland forest, well drained, intervened
2. Semideciduous lowland forest well drained
3. Lowland deciduous scrubland on poor soils well drained
4. Submontane deciduous shrub land 
5. Arbustal lowland deciduous microlatifoliado
6. Pine forest, submontane in Olancho
7. Pine forest, submontane
8. Well drained Pine forest lowlands
9. Lowland pine forest moderately drained
10. Graminioides Savannah short flood, broadleaf deciduous trees
11. Short with graminioides Savannah Palms karts
12. Forest seasonal submontane

Of these, dry forest ecosystems is considered the most threatened ecosystem in Honduras, consider that only 7% of the original area still remains. Its size is only 17, 114 has already most of existing remnants are privately owned, while it is important to note the discovery of the emerald hummingbird species endemic to the country only in the west, which was only reported for the Aguan valley forests and to a lesser extent Agalta Valley.

The dry forest ecoregion of Central America has been classified by WWF as "critical or endangered. Honduras is of particular importance in this ecoregion, as it is almost unique among Central American countries, this ecosystem is home of 60 to 134 known endemic species in the country. << Read less

By promoting the protection of dry forest ecosystems through private protected areas, carbon sequestration will be done by reducing or evading deforestation

The project aims to contribute to the promotion of citizen participation that may lead to new patterns of land use and natural resource management, broadening the responsibility of priority ecosystems in areas of civil society interested in preserving the natural heritage, socio-cultural and sustainability, respecting and maintained knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and Afro-descendant communities embodying traditional lifestyles relevant for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. << Read less

The formulation of the National Biodiversity Strategy (NBS) and its Plan of Action were made (2000-2001) on the basis of a highly participatory process in which regional and national workshops were organized with the participation of the private sector, institutions governmental and nongovernmental agencies, education sector, local governments, ethnic groups and community-based organizations among others. The prime objective of the NBS, is to provide a practical guide that allows to implement the recommendations arising from the Convention on Biological Diversity. In addition to having an effective tool in determining the priorities in the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. The NBS is organized into 4 strategic lines: 1-In-situ conservation, 2-Ex-situ conservation, 3-Transfer of technology and 4 - Access to resources and Equitable benefits. Derivatives of these guidelines and the purpose of complying with the CBD PoWPA in 2006 NISP Alliance was formed which consists of government institutions: SERNA, ICF, and SETCO, NGOs and International Cooperation Agencies: WWF -- World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy ,  GTZ - German Cooperation Agency and UNDP-United Nations Program for Development and National NGOs as FOPRIDEH Organizations and the Bureau of Co-Management of Protected Areas MOCAPH and is coordinated by the Biodiversity Direction Office ( SERN
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In the first instance and as priority activities of the Alliance developed the analysis of SINAPH gaps, the physical gap analysis (representativeness of ecosystems in the current SINAPH), a skills gap analysis (what we have as country capacity to manage our SINAPH ), and financial gap analysis (what it costs to handle the SINAPH, how funds are being invested, what is the gap, potential funding sources). With the activities in the project is intended to continue with the implementation of national PoWPA. << Read less

Goal 1.2: To integrate protected areas into broader land- and seascapes and sectors so as to maintain ecological structure and function
Goal 1.4: To substantially improve site-based protected area planning and management
Goal 1.5: To prevent and mitigate the negative impacts of key threats to protected areas
Goal 2.1: To promote equity and benefit-sharing
Goal 2.2: To enhance and secure involvement of indigenous and local communities and relevant stakeholders
Goal 3.1: To provide an enabling policy, institutional and socio-economic environment for protected areas
Goal 3.2: To build capacity for the planning, establishment and management of protected areas
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