BICA Honduras
Encyclopedia
| Bay Islands Conservation Association | |
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| Elevation Elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface .... : |
74 m (243 ft) |
| Coordinates: | 16.10°N 86.90°W |
| Location: | Bay Islands Bay Islands (department) Islas de la Bahía is one of the 18 departments into which the Central American nation of Honduras is divided. The departmental capital is Roatan, on the island of Roatán.... , Honduras Honduras Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize... |
The Bay Islands Conservation Association (BICA) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization founded in 1991 by the people living in the Bay Islands in order to initiate and coordinate efforts in protecting the Islands’ fragile natural resources. BICA’s operation and projects are funded through the support of local individuals, businesses and national and international agencies. BICA has two chapters – one in Roatan
Roatán
Roatán, located between the islands of Útila and Guanaja, is the largest of Honduras' Bay Islands. The island was formerly known as Ruatan and Rattan...
and one in Utila
Útila
Utila is the third largest of Honduras' Bay Islands, after Roatán and Guanaja, in a region that marks the south end of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, the second-largest in the world...
.
History
In 1987 and 1989, the forests in RoatanRoatán
Roatán, located between the islands of Útila and Guanaja, is the largest of Honduras' Bay Islands. The island was formerly known as Ruatan and Rattan...
were ablaze from out of control burning. Many fires were set, scars of which are still on the island. It was part of the practice of slash and burn agriculture
Slash and burn
Slash-and-burn is an agricultural technique which involves cutting and burning of forests or woodlands to create fields. It is subsistence agriculture that typically uses little technology or other tools. It is typically part of shifting cultivation agriculture, and of transhumance livestock...
, in which the land is set on fire to clear it for cattle grazing. There was a mistaken belief that cleared land was more valuable. Around that time, there was a growing awareness that the reef was deteriorating due to sedimentation from the land and overfishing and physical anchor damage
BICA opened its first office in Coxen Hole in 1991. It immediately began community outreach and education on the importance and fragility of our island's ecosystem.
In 1995, BICA agreed to manage the Sandy Bay-West End Marine Reserve, which it still manages.