Conservationists are fighting hungry bugs to save this forest park

Scientists say the lush forest in La Tigra National Park helps cool nearby cities. Photos: AFP

A massive bug infestation and cut-down of pine trees in a national park in Honduras has stunned residents and sparked a warning from experts that a localised spike in temperatures will ensue.

Authorities are clearing huge swathes of forest in La Tigra National Park, 7km north-east of Tegucigalpa, in an effort to stop the plague of bark-munching southern pine beetles. The park, which serves as green “lungs” and a cooling zone for the city, is nearly 240sqkm – and 10% of it has been chopped down over the past nine months.