Protected Areas of the Bay Islands National Marine Park

Created for marine managers, environmental educators, tourists and residents: an interactive map tour of MPAs in coastal Honduras.

The  Bay Islands National Marine Park (BINMP)  encompasses water surrounding three islands, governed by four municipalities off the north coast of Honduras. The marine park was created in 1997 after the Bay Islands were declared as a Tourism Zone in 1982 (and later as an Ecological Conservation Zone in 1989). The area encompasses over 260 square kilometers of marine area on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System. It is comprised of multiple different types of zones that help natural resource managers ensure sustainability of important marine resources. The color-coded zones in the map below indicate the type of protection afforded to each marine area within the area called the "special marine zone" of the park, which extends from the high tide line on the three islands out to the 60 meter depth contour.

Protected Areas of the Bay Islands National Marine Park. Colors indicate the type of protection afforded to each area, and the green buffer line delineates the extent of the marine park.

Hawksbill turtle in Utila. Gil Sassi Photography.

Whale Shark in Utila's special marine zone. Shaun Doyle Photography.

Divers over a reef in Utila. Gil Sassi Photography.

This project was created as part of a master's degree capstone project at Yale University in 2021.

It is a continuation of a project based in Utila from 2019 that can still be accessed  here .

Thank you to all the collaborators who made this project, and the previous iteration, possible! The content of this Story Map may be updated from time to time based on new environmental regulations and management plan updates. If you are reviewing the content and would like to suggest any updates to the information within the project, please feel free to contact the author via the information below.

Author

Kate Meyer

MEM/MBA 2022

kate.e.meyer@gmail.com

Data

Bay Islands Conservation Association

Advisors

Peter Boyd

Miriam Olivares

Images

Gil Sassi - Gil Sassi Photography

Shaun Doyle - Shaun Doyle Photography

Protected Areas of the Bay Islands National Marine Park. Colors indicate the type of protection afforded to each area, and the green buffer line delineates the extent of the marine park.

Hawksbill turtle in Utila. Gil Sassi Photography.

Whale Shark in Utila's special marine zone. Shaun Doyle Photography.

Divers over a reef in Utila. Gil Sassi Photography.