Under President Xiomara Castro, Honduras is trying to crack down on questionable land-use decision-making by past administrations. The government’s recent action to preclude further mining in a northern Honduran national park serves as an example. On Feb. 21, the Honduran Congress unanimously passed legislation reaffirming the government’s commitment to conserve Botaderos Mountain, Carlos Escaleras Mejía National Park. The move effectively prevented the renewal of a highly controversial mining concession that had operated in the park. Originally named Botaderos Mountain National Park when it was established in 2012, the park was renamed in 2016 to honor Escaleras, a noted Honduran environmental leader who was assassinated in 1997 while fighting plans for the development of a palm-oil processing plant in the area. Experts consider the Botaderos Mountain area a highly important Honduran conservation resource, in part because it sits at the intersection of three municipalities which collectively have widely... [Log in to read more]