HonduHerp: conserving Honduran herpetofauna and their cloud forest habitats

Ezra, Tasman

tasman@wustl.edu

HonduHerp (www.honduherp.org)

Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences                                                                             

Washington University                                                                                                                                       

St. Louis, Missouri USA

Baker, Charles                                                                                                                                              

HonduHerp (www.honduherp.org)

Theurer, Mason                                                                                                                                        

Geography Department                                                                                                                                              

University of Florida                                                                                                                                 

Gainesville, Florida USA

Honduras, part of the Mesoamerican Biodiversity Hotspot, has over the last two decades suffered devastating deforestation. According to Global Forest Watch, the nation lost 20% of the primary forest that remained at the turn of the 20th century, and annual rates of deforestation are increasing each year. In late 2023, a passionate group of American and Honduran graduate students and conservationists founded HonduHerp, an international non-profit devoted to the conservation of Honduran reptiles, amphibians, and their habitats. The efforts of the organization follow three main foci: 1) land protection, 2) community engagement, and 3) scientific research. This oral presentation will recap HonduHerp’s achievements in its eighteen months, including the establishment of two cloud forest reserves and robust partnerships with government at the local and national level, as well as outline future directions and calls for collaboration. Special emphasis will be placed on conservation, scientific, and cultural implications of our flagship species, the tamagás jade (Jade Palm Pitviper; Bothriechis thalassinus), especially in the context of the visionary “Thalassinus Corridor.”