A joint effort to protect forests in the municipality of Comayagua
Doña Bertilia Gómez, a primary school teacher, lives with her family in the community of El Churune, where approximately 200 inhabitants live and is located near the core area of the Comayagua Mountain National Park (PANACOMA). This area is a true natural treasure that captivates with its scenic beauty and biological diversity, reaches an area of 57,136 acres and has mountains that exceed 2000 meters above sea level. This mountain range is located in the department of Comayagua and is the main source of water for most of the population of the entire municipality.
Core zone of PANACOMA
However, like other areas of the country, each year they face an increasing threat due to deforestation caused by human activities, particularly the extraction of firewood for domestic use. Faced with this problem, the local government together with the population and Trees Water and People have promoted the installation of improved stoves in the priority areas of the park, with this since 2021 has benefited more than 1300 households in these communities. In that regard, the strategy of community participation and that of organized groups has been vital to success.
Improved stoves located around the national park
The importance of the participation of community organizations is reflected in the experience of Doña Bertilia since in addition to being a teacher she is also a leader with much recognition within the community board, and that in her reflection highlights the positive impact of the work organized to promote improved stoves, also highlighting that there is now cleaner and healthier air inside homes. Likewise, she also emphasizes the importance of awareness and education in the population and tells us that "We must make each other aware to improve the community" reminding us with these words that the adoption of improved stoves not only requires the availability of technology, but also the awareness of the population to promote environmentally friendly technologies that allow the conservation of the forest and improve the quality of life in the communities, promoting a change of attitude with a sense of belonging and empowerment for the protection of our natural environment.
