Environmental study of the Gulf of Fonseca

Limited by natural factors such as scarcity of good soils, acutely seasonal rainfall patterns, rugged terrain, and constrained estuarine hydrology, the Gulf is nonetheless one of the country"s most heavily populated areas. It is a region in which industrial agriculture has historically played a major role and at present it is dominated by two of the most profitable Honduran export activities, shrimp aquaculture and melons -- yet the rural population is one of the poorest in the western hemisphere. Although suffering the effects of a long history of environmental degradation, the area continues to serve a vital role in regional and local ecosystem function and merits careful management. The advent of shrimp farming in the 1980s and its pervasive influence have generated considerable controversy and occasionally violent conflict. International focus on the region"s problems has yet to result in better resource management. Because geographic information critically needed for decisionmaking is virtually absent, this study developed the following information: (1) an analysis of the changing natural vegetation and land use patterns from the early 1970s to 1993 using data sets derived from aerial photos from the years 1973, 1982, and 1992; (2) analysis of available physical, environmental, and biological data for the region; (3) socioeconomic analysis of the impacts of commercial shrimp farming and other commercial and artisanal activities; (4) an inventory of the major stakeholders dependent on the Gulf"s resources; (5) assessment of the sustainability of the projected growth of the commercial shrimp farming industry; (6) description of mitigation measures and strategic planning for minimizing the social, economic, and natural resource impacts of selected activities, while striving for sustainable multiple-use management of the region. Includes 8-page bibliography. (Author abstract, modified)