Can Isolated Coral Reefs Heal Themselves?

Recent findings reported in Science suggest that coral reefs may be more independent and resilient than previously thought.

This is good news for our reef rangers as they begin monitoring and conserving a couple miles of reef islands and the surrounding marine environment off the coast of Nicaragua.

Read more about the reef regeneration study at Our Amazing Planet.

Créditos de Tortuga: turtle credits to safeguard natural capital

The Multilateral Investment Fund issued a press release last week about our Environmental Leadership and Entrepreneurship for Geotourism project:

The Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), a member of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, will support the Paso Pacifico Foundation in a project that seeks to position Nicaragua as a competitive ecotourism destination that contributes to the conservation of biodiversity in and around the La Flor Wildlife Refuge in the department of Rivas.

The MIF expects that this project will integrate selected communities into sustainable tourism value chains, and will promote the protection of natural capital, especially the region’s sea turtle population, which is one of the key tourist attractions.

Given the turtle’s importance to local tourism offerings, the MIF will support the identification, design and implementation of innovative financing mechanisms for the protection and monitoring of these animals. One of these mechanisms will promote the creation of "turtle credits" - certificates representing a turtle egg not removed from its nest, equivalent to a born turtle - that will be offered to consumers and businesses that support the conservation of marine ecosystem conservation, such as surf and dive shops, medium-to-high-end seafood restaurant chains and NGOs devoted to conservation.

Desde un comunicado de prensa de FOMIN:

Nicaragua: “Créditos de Tortuga” para salvaguardar el capital natural del Refugio de Vida Silvestre de la Flor 

El Fondo Multilateral de Inversiones (FOMIN), miembro del Grupo del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID) apoyará a la Fundación Paso Pacífico en un proyecto que busca posicionar a Nicaragua como un destino eco-turístico competitivo que contribuya a la conservación de la biodiversidad dentro y alrededor del Refugio de Vida Silvestre de la Flor en el Departamento de Rivas... 

El FOMIN espera que este proyecto integre a las comunidades seleccionadas en la cadena de valor del turismo sostenible, promoviendo la salvaguardia del capital natural, especialmente las poblaciones de tortugas de la región que representarán la base de los servicios turísticos ofertados del proyecto... 

Dada la importancia de las tortugas para la oferta turística local, el FOMIN apoyará la identificación, el diseño y la implementación de mecanismos innovadores para el financiamiento de actividades de protección y monitoreo de estos animales. Uno de estos mecanismos fomentará la generación de “créditos de tortugas” – certificados que representan un huevo de tortuga no sacado del nido, lo que equivale a una tortuga nacida- los cuales serán ofrecidos a consumidores, y negocios que apoyan la conservación de los ecosistemas marinos, tales como tiendas de surf y buceo, cadenas de restaurantes de pescado de nivel medio-alto y ONG conservacionistas.

Geotourism Entrepreneurs Save Sea Turtles

Our March newsletter is online.

We report on our new project supporting Environmental Leadership and Entrepreneurship for Geotourism. This project, supported by the Inter-American Development Bank, is a concerted effort to scale up our efforts to combine community-based sustainable tourism with biodiversity management in the Paso del Istmo.

We also talk about our work with Man and Nature, to rebuild connectivity across watersheds and to gather traditional knowledge of local plants to find sustainable ways to harvest and export native plants.

Lastly, we thank our friends at Three Parameters+ for supporting our Junior Rangers program in Tola and for helping over 60 students gear up for and get to school.

Salvemos Nicaragua

A few weeks ago, Paso Pacífico's Abril Perez & Julie Martinez appeared on Nicaragua's Channel 2 morning magazine show Primera Hora, to discuss our campaign to encourage better solid waste and wastewater management.

Watch the video (in Spanish) below, or you can watch it on the Canal 2 website.

Abril & Julie also appeared on three other morning news shows. We'll share those videos as they become available.

International Women's Day

On International Women's Day, these Nicaraguan school girls look toward their future.

A featured commitment of the Clinton Global Initiative, our ELLAS Initiative works directly with women, children, and communities to ensure the region’s current and future ability to sustain ecological efforts.

ELLAS, the Environmental Learning, Leadership, Adventure, and Stewardship Initiative, is transforming Nicaragua's La Flor coastal and marine protected area into a geotourism destination. By strengthening female enviropreneurs, empowering coastal communities as environmental stewards, using technology to enable participation and learning, and harnessing market forces through ecosystem service payments, the ELLAS initiative is averting large-scale environmental destruction.

Our 25 female enviropreneurs manage tourism-centered businesses, including kayaking tours, a guide association, hostels, locally-sourced seafood restaurants, and a tree nursery supporting watershed restoration. In coordination with our sea turtle program, women have also formed a sea turtle nursery, generating income by protecting nests and educating others about sea turtle conservation.

Read more about our efforts to empower women.

Support the ELLAS Initiative.

Conservation Connections: Bats are Beneficial

Our February newsletter is online.

Thanks to Danielle Gustafson from Bat Conservation International for the great photo of our Junior Rangers learning about a bat they've just netted with bat biologist Luis F. Aguirre.

Also in our newsletter:

• catch up on last month's Turtle Ball
• learn about our upcoming arts education programs with the Raechel & Jackie Foundation
• Meet PP staffer Nicole Salazar
• help us fight forest fires in coastal Nicaragua

Pitching Nicaragua as the Next Paradise

The Wall Street Journal has a new piece on the challenge of transforming Nicaragua from "a country from tourism pariah to hot destination for wealthy travelers," showcasing Nicaragua's first luxury hotel, opening next month.

We have long recognized the natural of beauty of the Paso del Istmo and as we have watched the tourism sector grow in Nicaragua, we have educated people about nature tourism's potential to provide economic benefit to local communities while also supporting conservation efforts.

Our Coastal Entrepreneur Network involves many local businesses, partner organizations, and dedicated individuals, and provides guide training and micro-loans, supporting business development in tourism and related sectors. Beneficiary groups have included hostels, restaurants, small farmers, and small fishing enterprises, all owned by members of the rural community. Additionally, young adults from rural villages have received extensive nature and kayak guide training, and have harnessed these new skills to create their own eco-tour guiding company, Explore La Flor.



We welcome new visitors to the beautiful part of the world where we work, and hope they will join us in our efforts to protect the region's wildlife, habitat, and incredibly rich biodiversity.