Drawing inspiration from LAB’s Environmental Defenders series, LAB contributor Leon Elliott has created an interactive tool that traces important developments in the fight for water and life in Guapinol, Honduras.
For over a decade, the community of Guapinol in northern Honduras has led a tireless struggle against open-pit mining carried out by the Honduran company Inversiones Los Pinares (ILP), with backing from US steel giant Nucor.
These operations, which form part of a larger industrial megaproject in the valley of Bajo Aguán, have resulted in environmental damage within the protected Carlos Escaleras Mejía National Park, as well as the pollution of the San Pedro and Guapinol rivers – which are vital water sources for more than 14,000 people.
The struggle in Guapinol has come to symbolize a wider fight against systemic corruption and repression in Honduras. Community members opposing the megaproject have endured relentless surveillance, criminalization, harassment, and violence, culminating in the murders of four prominent community activists: Aly Domínguez, Jairo Bonilla, Oquelí Domínguez, and Juan López.
Their deaths – along with the case of the “Guapinol Eight”, a group of environmental defenders imprisoned without trial for 914 days – underscore a deeper national crisis. Honduras remains one of the most dangerous places in the world for environmental defenders, with at least 131 killed in the country between 2012 and 2022.
In April 2025, in a long-overdue but historic move, the Honduran Public Ministry filed formal charges against several people associated with the ILP project for crimes including the illegal exploitation of natural resources within the Carlos Escaleras Mejía National Park.
However, the struggle is far from over. Community members continue to resist efforts to expand the megaproject and they remain steadfast in their fight for justice – for Juan López and for others persecuted for defending the environment.
Using Timemap, an open-source platform developed by the investigative research group Forensic Architecture, I have developed an interactive tool that traces important developments in Guapinol between 2013 and 2025.
Key events have been organized into a series of ‘Narratives’, accessible via the tool’s left-hand panel, alongside an interactive timeline and map, which can be used to navigate the platform.
The project draws inspiration from Latin America Bureau’s Environmental Defenders series and incorporates extensive research by Dr. Ainhoa Montoya and the Legal Cultures of the Subsoil project.
I hope this project serves both as an educational resource for those seeking to understand Guapinol’s fight for water and life, and as inspiration for others interested in using open-source tools for investigative and advocacy work.
You can browse the Guapinol Timemap at this link. N.B. the tool isn’t suitable for mobile and works much better on a desktop browser. If you have any questions about the work or the platform’s open-source framework, feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn.
