HONDUHERP

In 2023, along with Honduran and American colleagues, I founded HonduHerp, a conservation organization dedicated to conserving the biodiversity of Honduras, with a particular focus on its reptiles, amphibians, and their habitats. Initially, we established the nation’s first protected area devoted explicitly to conserving habitat for a reptile species, Reserva Tierra del Tamagás, named for the endangered jade palm pit viper (Bothriechis thalassinus, or “tamagás” in Spanish). Those initial 30 hectares paved the way for us to now manage/co-manage with community, municipal, and governmental partners over 5,000 hectares of primary cloud forest distributed across private and public land. These forests protect countless endangered and critically endangered species and provide clean drinking water to dozens of communities. In addition to land protection, we conduct research ranging from the composition of viper venoms to basic natural history (distributions, dietary, spatial, and reproductive ecology) of the rare and endemic herpetofauna of western and northern Honduras. Perhaps most importantly, HonduHerp has built strong ties in communities across the departments of Copán and Yoro, visiting schools to teach about the importance of biodiversity conservation, working with farmers to mitigate human-snake conflict, and centering community members in every conservation action we take. Our approach to conservation is one that prioritizes developing the capacity of Honduran biologists, naturalists, community members, and students for a sustainable future. Learn more about our work at www.HonduHerp.org or @honduherp on Instagram.