REHDES: HONDURAN ECOLOGIST NETWORK for SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
“By the Green Route towards Sustainable Development”
TEL/FAX: (504) 440- 0385
E-mail: rehdes@caribe.hn
La Ceiba, Honduras
Ricardo Steiner, President and Board Director
Norman Javier Flores, Executive Director
INSTITUTIONAL INTRODUCTION
The Honduran Ecologist Network for Sustainable Development (REHDES) is a
regional umbrella organization that encompasses 6 environmental NGOs. Its
operational headquarters are located in the City of La Ceiba, on the Caribbean
Coast. The Network is a civil Organization, non-political, non profit, with
its own legal body, formed by legally constituted environmentalist Non Governmental
Organizations. It obtained its Legal Body on the 29 of December 1997.
REHDES develops activities for the Protection, Conservation and Development
of 13 Protected Areas by programs in:
- Community Development with income generating programs for the local
population.
- Citizen Participation ,
- Agro-Forestry with farm managing plans.
- Strategic Plans for Public Use cantered on Ecotourism development,
- Environmental Education.
These activities are oriented toward the diverse participants who have a
temporary or permanent presence in the protected areas under the management
of the NGOs.
During its founding and for approximately 3 years, the Canadian Agency
for International Development supported the efforts of REHDES by means
of financing for the strengthening of the Institution, Community Development
activities, basic technical research and activities in the tourism field.
REHDES and its principal associates initiated activities with the support
of the Quebec Union for Nature Conservation (UQCN-ACDI). Afterwards in
1999 the support of VIDA Foundation was obtained, and on the 14th of January,
2000 the Project "Promoting Conservation and Community Development through
Ecotourism” was made concrete, it started activities with financing facilitated
by USAID- VIDA Foundation (2000-2002); Other funds (2000-2001) for the
project “Strengthening of the Work Network on the North Coast of Honduras”
comes from National Fish and Wildlife Foundation NFWF-FSUMMIT, and in
October 2000 the Project Establishment of Agro-Forestry Nurseries was
finished, for the reforestation of buffer zones of the Protected Areas
of the North Coast executed and provided by the Canadian Cooperation –
UAP/ACDI.
NETWORK NGO ASSOCIATES
To group efforts REHDES was founded as a Civil non profit Organization with
its own legal body, apolitical, to join efforts among environmental NGOs,
coordinating joint projects that use technical, logistical and economic
resources in an optimum way, obtaining in this manner the adequate management
of the existing Natural Resources in the following member NGOs:
- AECOPIJOL-Ecological Association for the Conservation of Pico Pijol,
Morazán, Yoro
- BICA-Association for the Ecological Conservation of the Bay Island,
Roatan, Guanaja y Utila
- FUCAGUA-Calentura Guaimoreto Foundation, Trujillo, Colon
- FUCSA-Cuero y Salado Foundation, La Ceiba, Atlántica
- FUPNAPIB-Parque Nacional Pico Bonito Foundation, La Ceiba, Atlántida
- PROLANSATE-Foundation for the Protection of Lancetilla, Punta Sal,
Texiguat, Tela, Atlántida
- FUPNAND-Parque Nacional Nombre de Dios Foundation, Pending.
PROGRAMS AND COMPONENTS of REHDES
Institutional Strengthening and Environmental ManagementThis
component constitutes one of the fundamental development basis for NGOs,
through the management and coordination capacities in the Management and
Administration of Protected areas and Local Participation in the Communities,
as well as work liaisons with the governmental, private and donating sectors.
By means of management activities and coordination by the Directive Board,
the Executive Committee, the Consultative Committee and the REHDES Executive
Directorate.
Management and ConservationThe Network’s associate NGOs
execute activities in the Delimitation and Marking of the Nucleus and
Buffer zones as well as Maintenance and Signing in the Protected Areas.
Likewise, Forest Guards are hired and equipped. They perform patrolling
of the area and operatives for the conservation and co-partnership in
the Natural Areas.
Community Development and ParticipationREHDES and its
partner NGOs contribute significantly to the development of the communities
settled in the buffer zones, particularly in Agroforestry, Education and
Environmental Health, and in the generation of income for local beneficiaries.
Ecotourism and Public UseActivities of importance for
the Development of the sustainability of the Protected Areas, of the NGOs
and local populations, are those which participate actively in the management
of the same. In the Ecotourism area, Diagnostics are made to detect the
Ecotourism potential of the zones and then its Strategic Plans for Public
Use are designed which can give way to the construction of Visitor Centers,
low impact paths and other necessary infrastructure. An important program
is the Capacitating of Bilingual Nature Guides and Ecotourism Promoters
which prepares members of the surrounding communities of the Protected
Areas to provide good guide services and the development of local community
enterprises. A collateral benefit is the creation of jobs for the local
population. Also work experience and commitments are shared through the
Mesoamerican Ecotourism Alliance (AME) for the Development and Promotion
of Ecotourism in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. This work is
at the national level, mostly in planning and development of Sustainable
Tourism.
REHDES TASKS and OBJECTIVES
Objectives:
- Strengthen the institutional, management and technical capacities
of the associate NGOs and coordinate their efforts;
- to improve the Management of the regional system of protected areas
of the Caribbean Coast, supporting the inhabitants of this area in their
development to Improve the quality of their lives.
Tasks:
- The institutional development of the associate NGOs
- Support to Ecotourism efforts in the region, management of available
Resources for the execution of projects and management of conflicts
PROTECTED AREAS in the NETWORK
For more than 10 years the Conservationist NGOs have been working as a Regional
Network to assure its sustainability, developing management and administrative
activities in thirteen (13) Protected Areas on the Caribbean Coast and the
Islands and one in Yoro:
- Pico Pijol National Park in MORAZAN, YORO.
- Sandy Bay-West End Marine Reserve, Port Royal Wildlife Refuge in ROATAN;
- Turtle Harbor Wildlife Refuge in UTILA and Forest Reserve III in GUANAJA,
BAY ISLANDS.
- Capiro-Calentura National Park and Guaimoreto Lagoon Wildlife Refuge
in TRUJILLO, COLON.
- Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge and Pico Bonito National Park in LA
CEIBA, ATLANTIDA.
- Jeannette Kawas National Park, Punta Izopo National Park, Texiguat
Wildlife refuge and Lancetilla Botanical Garden in TELA, ATLANTIDA.
REHDES has an Institutional Strategic Plan for 2000 to 2003 in which are
defined the 4 fields of action in: INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT (NGOs and Protected
Areas), ECOTOURISM, RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, and CONFLICT RESOLUTION. Likewise
the Work System and the Projection Ambit is oriented during the next years
(2000-2003) in the following aspects related with the 13 Protected Areas
(AP’s) and by the 8 NGOs (includes REHDES) of the Honduran Caribbean Zone:
- Protected Area CONSERVATION
- ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
- ECOLOGICAL OBLIGATIONS
- ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES
- BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION
- REPARATION OF PROTECTED AREAS LAND
- ENVIRONMENTAL MUNICIPALITY
- SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
- HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
- LOCAL PARTICIPATION
- SPACE ARRANGEMENT
INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURE
This is the Network Organizational Structure established in the Strategic
Plan. It is formed by the following elements:
- DIRECTIVE UNITS:
- General Assembly:Formed by one representative (usually the Board
Director) of each member NGO and the Executive Directors.
- Directive Board/Executive Committee: The Directive Board is formed
by a limited number (usually from 5 to 7 members) of presidents
of the Directive Boards of the member NGOs and by their corresponding
Executive Directors, who form the Executive Committee, in charge
of supporting the Directive Board members to make operative their
decisions in each NGO.
- Executive Director: Professional hired for the following priority
responsibilities:
- Coordinate the technical and administrative work of the organization.
- Assure the management of resource for the implementation of
programs.
- Strengthen the relation and integration between members of
the board.
- SUPPORT UNITS:
- Consultative Committee: Formed by people or entities outside of
the organization that will be called to give their opinion on specific
subjects, as needed. Can include top level Technicians, private
institutions (ex. CBM, VIDA Foundation) Foreign NGO’s, public institutions
(ex. Instituto Hondureño de Turismo) among others.
- Administration: People hired to perform functions of administration
and accounting of funds.
- Documentation and Information Center:A systematization and reference
center of experiences generated by the member NGO’s.
- OPERATIVE UNITS:
- Institutional Development Program: Oriented toward the strengthening
and direct development of REHDES and its member NGOs. Objectives:
Strengthen institutional , technical and management capacities of
the REHDES system, incorporating values to achieve efficiency in
the sustainable management of the natural resources and reduce external
dependency.
- Ecotourism Program: Oriented towards setting the foundations for
regional development and management of Ecotourism, and to support
member NGOs in implementing this management in the local ambit.
Objectives: Promote institutional and community self- management
by the way of ecotourism to facilitate the conservation of biodiversity.
- Resource Generation Program: Oriented towards the generation of
resources to support the actions of member NGOs (consolidation,
follow-up and evaluation of regional proposals) and to assure the
sustainability of the organization (other alternatives such as consulting
service fees and financial services, among others). Objectives:
Guarantee the financial sustainability of the Network for a better
functioning of the member NGOs and of REHDES.
- Conflict Solution Program: Oriented towards the creation of spaces
for the pacific and equilibrated solution of regional and local
magnitude conflicts in the protected Areas and NGOs. Objective:
Conciliate the interests of the beneficiaries and users of natural
resources of the Protected areas, endeavoring for a rational use
of these resources.
As of May 2002, REHDES has a payroll of two people; One Executive Director
and an Administrator.
Supporters
Donors and Institutional Alliances
Honduran Environmental and Development Foundation VIDA – USAID
RARE Center for Tropical Conservation
Cooperation Alliance
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF)
SUMMIT Foundation
Other Collaborators and Donors
Biodiversity in Priority Areas Project PROBAP-Hn
Mesoamerican Biological Corridor – Hn
Virtual Foundation/ECOLOGIA - USA
ACCESO Foundation
Wings of Change USA / Flying for Conservation
Green Wood Project / NFWF
Mesoamerican Ecotourism Alliance /Honduras-Mexico-Belize-Guatemala (Project
for the Sustainable Development of Tourism in Central America)
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