DRRS Honduras 2023 (DRR223HN03)

The official request comes from Minister of Foreign Affairs of Honduras.

The objective of the request is the preparation of a Management Plan with a focus on adaptation to climate change in the Basin of the Aguán River, which is located in the northern zone of Honduras and covers an area of 11,005 km2. This Basin Management Plan should include an ecosystem approach, aimed at improving the standard of living of the population in harmony with the existing natural resources. The purpose of this comprehensive action is to promote sustainable urban-rural planning and development to deal with climate change; strengthening resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related risks and natural disasters in municipal territories within the Aguán River Basin.

Over the past few years, the Aguán Valley was hit very hard during hurricane Eta and Iota (2020) and the tropical storms and hurricanes that made landfall close to Honduras (2022). The entire basin is prone to floodings, as well as landslides as a result of soil saturation due to excess rainfall and the level of deforestation on high slopes. Climate change has made these events more frequent and more intense. Prevention is therefore back on the agenda.

Keeping the upcoming hurricane and wet season in mind, Honduras is interested in sustainable management of existing natural resources in the basin to reduce risks and avoid costly damages to infrastructure, especially to the agriculture of the valley of Aguán. This valley is very important to the economy of Honduras, as it provides large-scale employment and also high value agricultural exports.