Wings and Nets: Weaving Conservation with the Communities of Honduras's Pacific Coast.
MSP+ Science to action 2025-2026
Wings and Nets was born from a partnership between the fishing communities of the Gulf of Fonseca in Honduras and Aves Honduras, founded on the conviction that shorebird conservation is only possible when the people who share the birds’ territory take an active part in protecting them. The initiative sought to strengthen communities’ knowledge, appreciation, and commitment to conservation, promoting solutions built together with those who live and work in these ecosystems.
MSP+ Makes a Difference by Strengthening Capacities and Collaborating with Communities
With the support of MSP+, Aves Honduras conducted a participatory process that combined environmental education, capacity building, and community support.
The program created opportunities for learning and exchange where fishers, women, young people, and children learned about the ecological importance of shorebirds and their habitats and identified ways to work together for the benefit of their communities.
Inspiring Results: Conservation Strengthens Community Organization
Over the course of the project, environmental education workshops, birdwatching activities, beach clean-ups, and awareness-raising sessions on the threats facing shorebirds and their habitats were held, with the participation of 67 people from El Venado and Punta Ratón in Choluteca.
Participants improved their ability to identify different shorebird species and adopted more biodiversity-friendly practices. The use of binoculars and other observation tools sparked great enthusiasm, especially among the community groups.
One of the most significant outcomes was the strengthening of local organization. In one of the communities, a group of women decided to form their own organization, set up a board of directors, and begin planning new training and entrepreneurship initiatives. This experience showed that conservation can become a catalyst for community leadership and local development.
What's Next: Opportunities to Multiply the Impact
The next step will be to expand this model to other coastal communities in the Gulf of Fonseca, strengthening participatory shorebird monitoring and supporting community processes that integrate conservation, local organization, and sustainable livelihoods.