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Lake Yojoa Region

Landowners in Lake Yojoa region
Landowners in Lake Yojoa region
© Juan Jose Dada

Learn more about this project with the Online Field Guide.

The Lake Yojoa region is an important watershed and is ringed by three national parks, Cerro Azul Meambar (209 square kilometers), Santa Bárbara (132 square kilometers), and the Lake Yojoa itself with its surrounding Multiple Use Area covering a total of  437 square kilometers.

The Nature Conservancy's work in this new conservation action area, focuses on the sparsely populated areas bordering the lake and the two parks.
 
Location
Lake Yojoa is located in central Honduras - approximately 125 km northeast from Tegucigalpa, the capital and 75 km to the south of the city of San Pedro Sula.

Animals

  • Jaguar
  • Northern Tamandua (anteater)
  • Howler monkey
  • Spider monkey

Birds

  • 407 bird species have been identified in the Lake Yojoa region representing 55% of the total birds identified in the country. 
  • 66 species of aquatic birds have been identified in the Lake.
  • The Lake is home to the three species of resident ducks of Honduras and seven species of migratory ducks. It is the only place in the country where the Least Bitten, the Osprey and the Crab Hawk birds fish. 
  • The Lake is also habitat for all the kingfishers reported for Honduras.

Plants
The Lake Yojoa region is a highly biologically diverse area due to extensive precipitation, the number of altitudinal gradients, and the geological diversity of this area. The 802 plant species and 141 families registered for this region represents the most diverse flora identified in Honduras up to date. 

  • 46 species of orquids, two of which are endemic (Lepanthes edwardsii, Octomeria hondurensis).
  • This region is also home to 15 endemic plants that do not exist in any other part of the world such as a bush known as Mahonia glauca, a herb by the name of Petravenia cyrill-nelsonii, and an ornamental palm Cryosophilla williamsii.
  • 71 species of aquatic flora which represent 86.5% of the aquatic species identified in Honduras.

Why the Conservancy Works Here
The Lake Yojoa region is an important watershed and is ringed by three national parks. However, the region is increasingly threatened by the expansion of the agricultural frontier, colonization and water pollution.

What the Conservancy Is Doing

  • In August 2001, The Nature Conservancy and partner organization, AMUPROLAGO - an association of municipalities in the Lake Yojoa region, created the first conservation easements in Honduras with eight landowners. The landowners voluntarily agree to limit their use of their land in exchange for a financial incentive from the local municipalities.

  • The Nature Conservancy, local municipalities, and community members have concluded a participatory Site Conservation Planning process (SCP) which will result in a Site Conservation Plan and Management Plan for the Lake Yojoa Watershed Region.