As climate change and environmental breakdown continue to accelerate across the globe, it is clear that Nicaragua is particularly vulnerable to a number of impacts
- The weather here, as in many places, is becoming more extreme, including a 4 year drought followed by flooding and hurricanes. Higher temperatures in general have led to an array of detrimental effects, on the coffee harvest for example, a disease called ‘la roya’ is harder to eliminate.
- Deforestation in Nicaragua is rampant. The remaining so called protected areas (Bosawas, Indio Maiz) are being increasingly reduced – we have lost 70% of Bosawas (once the largest remaining rainforest outside the Amazon) in the last 20 years – by fire and clear cutting – for cattle ranching and palm oil, as well as illegal felling of hardwood trees and pines across the country. In the case of La Concha, the last woodland has been cut to plant dragon fruit and pineapple for export.
- Nicaragua is between two oceans – the Pacific and the Caribbean. Overfishing and plastic waste is devastating them both. Increasingly vital mangroves are being destroyed in the northern Pacific coast to make way for shrimp farming. The lakes of Nicaragua are also suffering greater levels of pollution and, in the case of lake Nicaragua, water is taken out to supply large towns like Rivas.
- As is the case globally, the insect population here has crashed. Bees and butterflies locally have been devastated by the over use of pesticides and fumigations which are supposed to kill mosquitoes, but in fact kill not only their natural predators (lizards, frogs etc.) but of course also other insects vital to pollination.
To respond as best we can to these issues we have formed a movement called Ambientalistas Mariposa en Accion (Mariposa Environmentalists in Action). We stress heavily the action part as we all tired of hearing the talk but not seeing the neccessary actions.
Here are some of the actions we are undertaking as of April 2019
1.We have formed a movement rather than a group so it can be open to different inputs from different people for different environmental project. The name, Ambientalistas Mariposa en Accion has the initials AMA which here means s/he loves. One person, for example, is developing her own power point and videos to use with school kids.
2. We are doing weekly street clean ups, mainly with the Health Center and the help of the town hall truck.
3. We have planted thousands of tree seeds in the tree nursery. This year we have managed to collect some seeds from some quite rare trees and are on course to plant to 12,000 more. The kids from the San Pedro project come to La Reserva to help as part of our environmental education project.
4. Ismael and Josimar have designed an explanatory leaflet re climate change and the importance of fighting it here with trees which they plan to deliver house to house along with giving away tree seedlings. Nicaragua does not create the problem of carbon dioxide as we have virtually no heavy industry, little use of fossil fuels, but deforestation is a contributory problem to climate change and that we can help with.
5. The Town Hall is planning an environmental awareness event which will consist of a caravan of decorated vehicles doing a parade from San Juan up to la Concha. We had the idea of using a bullock cart and horse cart (in my opinion the transport of the future!) filled with plants and our recycled bags and more leaflets which we will give away. And then we will sell some healthy food and juices with no plastic in the park. I think it will be fun. Date is the 16th May.
Click on the links below to see in more detail ongoing work.
