Fundación Comunitaria Puca (PUCA)
Public Statement 2015
| Title | Strengthening the Capacity of Local Actors for the Participatory Co-management in the Search for Sustainable Management of the Refugio de Vida Silvestres Montaña de Puca (RVSMP) | |
| Type of organization | Nongovernmental organization | |
| Country | Honduras | |
| Duration | Three years | |
| IAF Funding | $205,355 | |
| Counterpart Committed | $87,630: $46,430 in cash and $41,200 in kind | |
| Number of direct & indirect beneficiaries |
Direct: 1,500 Indirect: 2,000 |
|
| Primary program areas | Agriculture/food production, education/training, and environment | |
Organization
PUCA was founded in 1998 and became legally constituted in January 2003. Its mission is to facilitate the management of development by local organizations working to protect and preserve natural resources. Its general assembly elects an executive board of nine members. A coordinator manages operations. To date, PUCA has entered into two agreements with the local municipalities and the Instituto Nacional de Conservación y Desarrollo Forestal (ICF) to manage forested land. PUCA has received support from DED of Germany, DAN Church Aid of Denmark, Heifer International and the German government.
Development Objective
To work with participating communities to manage the natural resources of Refugio de Vida Silvestre Montaña de Puca (RVSMP).
Project Description
PUCA, comprising 28 communities in the department of Lempira, will develop its members’ ability to manage the natural resources of the Refugio de Vida Silvestres Montaña de Puca in collaboration with local water and forestry boards and a volunteer corps of forest rangers. The participants will undertake advocacy on behalf of the reserve, install technologies compatible with its ecosystems, apply sanitation techniques to protect watersheds, and develop further as organizations. The work will benefit 1,500 Hondurans directly and another 2,000 indirectly.
Rationale for Funding
PUCA is a grassroots organization that draws its participants from civil society organizations and from four municipal governments in the department of Lempira, whose representatives come together to identify issues and propose solutions for a reserve area recognized. Residents and local governments are willing to do the hands-on management necessary to preserve this natural asset, which requires more resources than the government can allocate to it.
Learning Opportunity
This project will demonstrate how civil society and the public sector work together to coordinate solutions to problems of trespass on public land and illegal logging and hunting and to protect natural resources.