In December 2025, the Government of Honduras, through the Institute for Forest Conservation, Protected Areas and Wildlife (ICF), enacted the Technical and Administrative Regulations for Community Forest Management in Indigenous Intercommunity Private Territories under Agreement No. 129-2025.
The regulations establish a specific procedure enabling Indigenous Peoples holding community or intercommunity land titles to carry out the sustainable management of their forests, in accordance with the collective rights recognized in the Constitution of the Republic, the Forestry Law, and the International Labour Organization's (ILO) Convention No. 169.
The regulatory framework was developed with the participation of Indigenous forestry professionals and seeks to adapt forest management to the conditions and governance systems of Indigenous territories. It also aims to reconcile the sustainable use of forest resources with forest conservation.
One of the key features of the regulations is the recognition of Indigenous authorities and community governance mechanisms, assigning an important role to Indigenous institutions and organizational structures in processes related to forest management.
En diciembre de 2025, el Gobierno de Honduras, a través del Instituto de Conservación Forestal, Áreas Protegidas y Vida Silvestre (ICF), promulgó las Normas Técnicas y Administrativas para el Manejo Forestal Comunitario en Territorios Privados Intercomunitarios de Pueblos Indígenas, mediante el Acuerdo No. 129-2025.
La normativa establece un procedimiento específico para que los pueblos indígenas con títulos de propiedad comunitaria o intercomunitaria puedan desarrollar el manejo sostenible de sus bosques, en concordancia con los derechos colectivos reconocidos en la Constitución de la República, la Ley Forestal y el Convenio 169 de la Organización Internacional del Trabajo (OIT).
El instrumento fue elaborado con la participación de profesionales indígenas especializados en temas forestales y busca adecuar la gestión forestal a las condiciones y formas de organización de los territorios indígenas. Asimismo, procura compatibilizar el aprovechamiento sostenible de los recursos forestales con la conservación de los bosques.
Uno de los aspectos relevantes de la normativa es el reconocimiento de las autoridades y los mecanismos de organización comunitaria, otorgando un papel importante a las estructuras propias de los pueblos indígenas en los procesos relacionados con el manejo forestal.
In addition, the regulations require that forest use be carried out through forest management plans, forest inventories, and annual operational plans, with the objective of maintaining forest productivity and contributing to long-term conservation.
Scope of the regulations
The regulations apply to Indigenous community and intercommunity private territories and govern community forest management. They do not apply to individually owned private property or to national forests.
This regulatory framework incorporates the rights of Indigenous Peoples into community forest management and provides specific guidelines for the sustainable management of forests in the territories where it applies.