CATIE reaffirms its commitment to water security in Honduras at the 1st “Water for Honduras” Symposium

• During the event, CATIE shared tools and experiences from Latin America

As part of the International Water Day celebrations, CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) actively participated in the 1st “Water for Honduras” Symposium, a key event to promote sustainable water resource management in the country. The symposium, held in San Pedro Sula, brought together 171 participants, including representatives from government sectors, the private sector, academia, civil society organizations, co-managers of protected areas, and international cooperation agencies, to discuss the challenges and opportunities Honduras faces in ensuring water security in the Sula Valley region.

During the event, Dr. Laura Benegas, Director of CATIE’s Division of Research for Inclusive Green Development and Coordinator of the Watersheds, Water Security and Soils Unit, delivered an institutional message during the opening session, reaffirming the institution’s commitment to the country and the region. In her remarks, she emphasized the need to promote integrated solutions based on scientific evidence, ecosystem restoration, watershed co-management, and participatory governance to address today’s water challenges.

CATIE also took part as a panelist in the roundtable discussion on the impacts of climate change on water resources, sharing practical tools and applied experiences from across Latin America to tackle these challenges through an Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) approach.

It is worth noting that this territorial engagement and CATIE’s active participation in the symposium were made possible thanks to the support of the Refores Project, implemented by CATIE in collaboration with the World Resources Institute (WRI), executed by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), and financed by the Adaptation Fund. This project has enabled the establishment of key synergies with local stakeholders in the Merendón region, an ecologically important area that supplies water to communities and productive sectors in the Sula Valley. Through its interventions, Refores seeks to strengthen the climate resilience of communities and ecosystems in the Atlantic coastal region of Belize, Honduras, and Guatemala, using restoration as a core adaptation strategy. The project brings together efforts with local actors to build institutional and community capacity.

The event also marked the symbolic signing of an agreement to establish the Manchaguala River Sub-watershed Forest Restoration Network, an initiative aligned with CATIE’s strategic vision of strengthening ecosystems as a foundation for sustainable water security. The Restoration Network is a collaborative effort aimed at connecting organizations, communities, and businesses to restore the riparian forests of the Sula Valley.

For CATIE, this participation represents an opportunity to continue promoting effective public policies, supporting watershed-based water planning, and expanding strategic alliances for the implementation of nature-based solutions. “Water is a right and a shared responsibility. At CATIE, we will continue to contribute through science, capacity building, and technical support to ensure water security for Honduras and the entire region,” emphasized Dr. Benegas.

The symposium was organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF Mesoamerica), Fundación Cervecería Hondureña, the Secretariat of Natural Resources and Environment (SERNA), the Environmental Management Office of the Municipality of San Pedro Sula, the Association of Community Boards of the El Merendón Reserve, the Water Security Alliance of San Pedro Sula, Global Water Partnership, Water for People, and the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE).