Getting Connected in Nicaragua

My first time to Nicaragua, I spent a week in an old pick-up truck we parked on a hill each night so we could jumpstart it each morning.

We traveled the Paso del Istmo biologicial corridor from one "unconnected" place to another. Along the fertile coasts and in the arid mountain forests, we saw (or heard) amazing wildlife, and met dedicated people who were excited to share everything they knew about the flora and fauna in the area they so lovingly watched over.

Farmers, fishermen, scientists, and schoolchildren took time to explain their people, their land, and the environmental impact of Paso Pacifico. Again and again, I found myself asking these people “are you a Paso Pacifico employee?”  While my traveling companion and passenger was a Paso Pacifico employee, most of people I met were contractors, collaborators, or volunteers. But they were so invested in Paso Pacifico's habitat restoration programs, they used the subject “we.”

In homes ranging from ocean-view villas with swimming pools and wireless internet, to small huts in the woods with no running water, no electricity, and no cell phone reception, people were committed to environmental conservation. Like everything else in that watershed, Paso Pacifico connects people in its mission to mitigate climate change and create migratory corridors for spider monkeys, yellow-naped parrots, sea turtles, and more.

Since 2005, Paso Pacifico has worked with landowners and local communities to promote ecosystem conservation. As a Nicaraguan mobile carrier works to increase coverage in extremely isolated areas, we seek new partners to help us create and repurpose mobile technology to facilitate citizen biodiversity monitoring, and provide scientists worldwide with hyperlocal field data, helping us better understand the migratory patterns of endangered species and restore precious habitat along Central America's Pacific slope.