Coral reef conservation holiday, Honduras

The Cayos Cochinos are a group of two small islands (Cochino Pequeno and Cochino Grande) and 13 small coral cays situated 30 kilometres northeast of the town of La Ceiba on the northern shores of Honduras. In November 1993, a Presidential Decree designated the Cayos Cochinos a Natural Protected Area and the Honduras Coral Reef Fund (HCRF) as the managing agency responsible for the conservation of the islands. In August 1994 a second Presidential Decree, confirmed the protected status of the islands. In November 2003 a Legislative Decree declared a Marine Natural Monument. The protected area covers 460 km2 and HCRF are responsible for its management.

The Cayos Cochinos form part of the world's second largest barrier reef system, known as the Meso-American Barrier Reef, and have been identified by the Smithsonian Institute, The Nature Conservancy, the Word Wildlife Fund and the World Bank as one of the key sections of the barrier reef system to preserve. The reefs are the least disturbed ecosystems in the so-called Bay Islands Complex and have had a strong and active NGO working with local communities, private sector bodies and government organisations to help manage the reefs and their fisheries over the last 10 years.

In 2004 HCRF published a new management plan for the area, which has been discussed extensively with the various stakeholders and has now been adopted by the Honduran government. We have been invited to help with the implementation of this plan. First of all, please note that this operator has won multiple awards that show its committment to conservation and the environment. Two of the most prominent awards are "Best Volunteering Organisation" at the 2006 Responsible Tourism Awards and higly commended for "Best for Conservation of Endangered Species" at the 2007 awards. See http://www.responsibletourismawards.com for more details.

The operator is committed to running real wildlife conservation research expeditions to all corners of the Earth and says "Our projects are not tours, photographic safaris or excursions but genuine research expeditions, promoting sustainable conservation and preservation of the planet's wildlife by forging alliances between scientists and the public. Our goal is to make, through our expedition work, an active contribution towards a sustainable biosphere. We believe in empowering ordinary people by placing them at the centre of scientific study and by actively involving them out in the field, where there is conservation work to be done.

We always work in close conjunction with local people and scientists and try our best to ensure that the fruits of our expedition work benefit our local helpers, their society and the environment they live in. Adventure, remote locations, different cultures and people are part and parcel of our expeditions, but also the knowledge that you will have played an active role in conserving part of our planet's biosphere. We exist for those who, through their hands-on work, want to make a difference to the survival of the particular species or habitat under investigation, and to the world at large. We invite everyone to come and join us out in the field, at the forefront of conservation, to work, learn, experience and take responsible guardianship of our biosphere.

To achieve this we will wherever possible:

collaborate with reputable scientists, research institutions and educational establishments (wherever possible from the host nation) who are experts in their field

collaborate with organisations and businesses which operate in an ethical and/or sustainable way

operate in an ethical and sustainable way, minimising negative impacts on local cultures, environments and economies

publish results and recommendations based on collaborative work together with those who helped gather data and draw conclusions.