In partnership with Fauna & Flora and supported by the Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation (NAEPF), Fairpicture embarked on its first dedicated marine conservation and wildlife photography project in Honduras.
The brief centred on a powerful concept: to frame coastal and island community leaders – fishers, young marine stewards, Garífuna matriarchs – as the true heroes of ocean conservation.. The shoot, taking place in the coastal zone and islands around La Ceiba, Utila and Cayos Cochinos, spanned nine coastal communities and invited the leaders themselves to shape how they would present themselves.
Deliverables included a bold leader portrait series together with documenting their livelihoods and the marine environment in which they live, all to help Fauna & Flora and NAEPF raise awareness, build donor support and strengthen the narrative around locally-led marine protected area (MPA) management.
Client
Fauna & Flora
Visual Creator
Nahún Rodríguez (Honduras)
Theme
Locally-managed marine protected areas (MPAs)
Location
Cayos Cochinos / Utila / Rio Esteban (Honduras)
Date
May 2015
Fishing community of Cayitos de Utila
Photo: Nahún Rodríguez/Fauna&Flora/Fairpicture
Honduras is home to rich marine and coastal biodiversity, including the globally significant Mesoamerican Reef system, mangrove forests, seagrass beds and island ecosystems where species such as the Antillean manatee, hawksbill turtle and Utila spiny-tailed iguana depend on local habitats.
Yet this extraordinary natural heritage faces serious threats: unsustainable fishing methods, accelerating coastal development, and insufficient locally-led governance. Fauna & Flora’s Honduras programme has been active since 2011, supporting seven Honduran NGO partners. Each partner organization works closely with coastal communities and three marine protected areas to strengthen marine management, empower women and youth, and embed traditional knowledge in sustainable practices.
The photography assignment sought to elevate those people at the heart of conservation.
A grasshopper of the Romaleidae family, commonly known as the "giant grasshopper." It is characteristic of tropical regions like Honduras and is distinguished by its large size and striking colors, which can warn of its potential toxicity to predators.
Photo: Nahún Rodríguez/Fauna&Flora/Fairpicture
Felipe Alcerro (38) President of the tourism committee and leader of the Orotina community, environmental promoter, and locally certified tour guide in the Atlantic destination. He also works hand in hand with the La Fe fishing committee in this community to promote best practices. He is also a member of LARECOTURH, participating in the organization and its assembly for the improvement and strengthening of the tourism communities that comprise it.
Photo: Nahún Rodríguez/Fauna&Flora/Fairpicture
Photo: Nahún Rodríguez/Fauna&Flora/Fairpicture
Vicky Chavez (29) is a young woman of the Garifuna ethnic group, born in the community of Corozal. She works as a biologist on the CEM technical team and also works closely with fishermen and women. Her leadership and knowledge have generated useful information for decision-making based on community and technical knowledge.
Photo: Nahún Rodríguez/Fauna&Flora/Fairpicture
Steph Baker
Creative Production Manager at Fauna & Flora
Howler monkeys found in their natural habitat in Laguna de Cacao, Honduras..Laguna de Cacao is the favorite habitat of a wide variety of wild animals, birds, and fish, as its environment provides them with everything they need to live and thrive. It is surrounded by lush vegetation, including eight of the 34 mangrove species found in the world.
Photo: Nahún Rodríguez/Fauna&Flora/Fairpicture
José Paz (48), Harold Estrada (37) guides in Cuero and Salado.
José is a self-taught tour guide who offers tours in Cuero and Salado.
Harold it the only young man in the community who attended university. He is currently a technician at the FUCSA Foundation, with extensive knowledge of the protected area.
Photo: Nahún Rodríguez/Fauna&Flora/Fairpicture
Nahún Rodríguez
Fairpicture Photographer
Photo: Nahún Rodríguez/Fauna&Flora/Fairpicture
Leah Argueta (14) is a youth leader with the Ecolíderes group. She is responsible, resilient, and communicative. She participates in reforestation, beach cleanups, and childcare.
Photo: Nahún Rodríguez/Fauna&Flora/Fairpicture
A traditional Garifuna dance, known as La Punta..They often practice it anywhere they find themselves because it is part of their lifestyle and daily life. Today, it is known that no one dances the punta better than the Garifuna..This dance is a ceremonial funeral dance whose Garifuna name is Banguidi or Bunda, which has been shortened and adapted to the Spanish language, becoming known to everyone as La Punta.
Photo: Nahún Rodríguez/Fauna&Flora/Fairpicture
The collaboration marked Fairpicture’s first foray into ocean and wildlife-conservation photography, and our first collaboration with Fauna & Flora – making it a milestone project for both organisations.
The resulting image series delivered vibrant, high-impact hero portraits alongside rich visual narratives of community life, culture and marine landscapes. These photographs are already slated for use in a UK public-exhibition and will serve Fauna & Flora’s media outreach, donor campaigns and in-country awareness initiatives.
By spotlighting those often unseen marine stewards and positioning them as true guardians of the ocean, the project advances Fairpicture’s commitment to ethical, locally-led visual storytelling – and strengthens Fauna & Flora’s call for meaningful investment in local leadership to protect nature.
The Rosy Boa is a species endemic to Honduras, found specifically on the two islands of Cayos Cochinos, Cayo Menor and Cayo Mayor.
Photo: Nahún Rodríguez/Fauna&Flora/Fairpicture
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