36 Years Protecting Water and Forests in Honduras

Asociación Ecológica de San Marcos de Ocotepeque (AESMO) – Honduras

Some organizations mark anniversaries with speeches. AESMO marked theirs with action. On June 26, our partner hosted “AESMO: Evolucionamos para Ti” (AESMO: We Evolve for You) in San Francisco del Valle, Ocotepeque — unveiling a new institutional identity and convening an unprecedented gathering: the First Exchange of Watershed Co-Management Councils.

The event was an opportunity to honor more than two decades of quiet, sustained work: a Shared Governance Model that has achieved the conservation of 2,485 acres for the protection of water, biodiversity, and soil, backed by Lenca indigenous communities, Honduran organizations, and international cooperation.

More than 53,000 hectares under conservation over 36 years of history. That’s not a small figure — it’s the result of hundreds of collective decisions made over time.

The event drew cooperation agencies, municipalities, cooperatives, environmental organizations, private sector representatives, members of the seven Co-Management Councils, and regional and national media, including FCA.

Their presence reflects something fundamental: the challenges of conservation and climate change cannot be faced alone, and AESMO knows that better than anyone.

This new institutional chapter doesn’t erase the history — it honors it and projects it forward, with the same commitment as always and renewed alliances to keep protecting the water and forests of Honduras.