grantees » Daniel Hernández Santos

Daniel is a young and dynamic grass-roots forestry expert, who possesses the ambition, attention to detail and leadership qualities to motivate others and get them involved in forest conservation. He began his career in the forestry department for the government of Honduras, and later moved on to the FUPNAND (Fundacion Parque Nombre de Dios) where he currently works as a forestry technician.

FUPNAND is legally responsible for the national wetland park ‘Nombre de Dios’ and it was at FUPNAND, that Daniel met Dr. Ranil Senanayake, the world renowned environmentalist  and leader in the field of analog  forestry (AF).  At FUPNAND Daniels’ focus is to help communities in and around the park gain food security and a stable income. One of the ways of achieving this is through AF, a form of forestry management designed to mimic the functions and ecology of a natural forest, while also providing an economic benefit. Daniel however, had no formal training in AF and his goal to become a qualified  trainer was  made possible through the support from the JWH Initiative.   

Through FUPNAND and with the backing of Dr. Senanayake, Daniel traveled to Costa Rica, to the International Analog Forestry Network (IAFN) Headquarters to complete a course in Analog Forestry. While in Costa Rica, Daniel visited an AF site – La Marucha (Milo’s Farm) and on reflection says that “the site is living proof that we can live in this world without destroying our environment and most importantly that it is possible to simultaneously achieve restoration of degraded forests, retain ecosystem services and increase biodiversity and organic production with AF techniques.”

He then went on to complete a 2-week certificate permaculture program hosted by the Red Internacional de la Forestería Análoga (RIFA) and Falls Brook Centre (FBC), Canada. During the 2-weeks he learned the design principles behind permaculture and was able to share his knowledge with others.

During his courses Daniel found that he became more fluent in English and is now able to communicate more effectively to donor organisations and international audiences; and would like to say to all those who made this possible: “I wish to show my appreciation to several people and organizations that made my participation in these excellent courses a reality… first of all a special thanks to Both Ends- and the JWH Initiative that gave me the suppor t… to Jean Arnold for her kindness and hospitality… and lastly to everybody at FBC for their brotherhood and solidarity…”