Paso Pacífico in the NEWS

Paso Pacifíco made news this month when it was recognized as a new beneficiary of the Surf Industry Manufacturer's Association (SIMA) Environmental Fund at their annual Waterman's Ball, which raised over $400,000 for ocean conservation organizations. Attending the event from Paso Pacifíco were Country Director Liza Gonzalez, Program Manager Teresa Lang, and one of our partners, Donn Wilson, who established the Las Fincas Private Reserve on his reforested Nicaragua property. Paso Pacífico will receive a portion of the funds raised at the Waterman's Ball. The event also provided the opportunity for Paso Pacífico to network with many professional surfers, surf industry leaders, and leaders in ocean conservation, bringing greater awareness to our work conserving the natural resources of Nicaragua.

Meeting Robert F. Kennedy Jr., SIMA's Environmentalist of the Year and President of the Waterkeeper Alliance, was among the inspiring connections made by Paso Pacífico at this event. Kennedy gave a stirring speech on the state of our oceans and expressed a vision of watershed conservation that resonates closely with Paso Pacífico's work to restore watersheds. Paso Pacífico also met with Surfline, one of the surf community's premier news sources, which published a brief article about Paso Pacífico on their website last week. Additionally, Paso Pacífico finally had the chance to connect with World Campion surfer Kelly Slater, who has been working with Carbonfund and Paso Pacífico since 2007 to offset the carbon emissions from his career on the ASP World Tour. We invited Kelly, Bobby Kennedy, and many world-class surfers to visit us in Nicaragua and experience firsthand the country's exceptional surfing and stunning landscapes.

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Conservation in Action

In partnership with farmers and local communities, Paso Pacífico has recently reforested four new sites at key locations across the Paso del Istmo. Reforestation took place within areas of tropical dry forest, which is the most endangered forest ecosystem in Nicaragua and one of the most threatened worldwide. Sixteen thousand trees, composed of fourteen native species, were planted across areas totaling more than sixty acres. To reforest these properties, Paso Pacífico employed native tree management techniques similar to those used in our Return to Forest forest-based carbon mitigation project. Though carbon sequestered from this reforestation will not be sold in carbon markets, this years efforts will reduce over 5,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. The restoration of the natural ecosystem on these properties takes Paso Pacífico one step closer to our goal of connecting forest ecosystems across the Paso del Istmo.

Partnerships make it possible

Much of Paso Pacífico's work in the Paso del Istmo is made possible by our longstanding partnership with the municipal government in San Juan del Sur. San Juan's municipal government has collaborated with us on our various Environmental Education programs, is instrumental in the ongoing expansion of these programs, and frequently partners with Paso Pacífico on issues of community development in the rural villages where we work. Paso Pacífico has also partnered with the municipality to support eco-tourism development in the Paso del Istmo through publications, new signage, and eco-tour guide training, helping to attract tourists to Nicaragua in an environmentally friendly way. Most importantly, they co-sponsor the International Coastal Cleanup efforts on all beaches within their municipality, a significant undertaking since these destination beaches are some of the most highly visited in the country.