CONSERVATION IN ACTION
North of the Paso del Istmo in the wooded highlands and misty mountains of Jinotega and Estelí, where people are still recovering from decades of war, we have been pleased to partner with FHI360 and USAID on the Conservation & Sustainable Tourism Program.

In the spirit of FHI360's motto, "the science of improving lives," together we have worked to empower individuals and communities, improve natural resource management, and foster the creation of employment opportunities in and around national parks, private reserves, and other ecologically significant areas.

Paso Pacífico's role in this Program has been to provide biodiversity technical expertise. Our contributions have included cataloging the region's wildlife (the highlight of which was identifying Nicaragua's 103rd known bat species), creating field guides, and assessing regional biodiversity. Working with farmers, ranchers, tour guides, and communities near priority watersheds, we have conducted workshops to train people in wildfire mitigation, watershed restoration, reforestation, tree nursery development, meliponiculture, and biodiversity monitoring (see photo from our telemetry workshop above). We have also established baseline measures for understanding the impacts of tourism and pollution on area ecosystems.

As this four-year partnership officially comes to an end, we look forward to continued cooperation with local community members as we learn from each other and share Nicaragua's natural beauty with committed eco-tourists. We appreciate the support of FHI360 and the assistance from the U.S. Government and the American people.

---

PASO PACÍFICO IN THE NEWS
Our Guardaparques Junior from Tola made international news last month when they visited Playa Jiquiliste during the ISA World Juniors Surfing Championships. Below, they're pictured with their schoolmate, Jackson Obando, who surfed well for Team Nicaragua.

Watch the Day 5 Highlights and you'll see the International Surfing Association's president Fernando Aguerre commend them for sharing an important message about ocean conservation.





Turtle Rangers Salvador Sanchez and Jairo Coronado were interviewed live on Nicaragua's Channel 13 (below), as was environmental educator Julie Martinez (not pictured).

PARTNERSHIPS MAKE IT POSSIBLE
Thanks to the Surf Industry Manufacturers Environmental Fund, we have expanded our network for coastal conservation. For the second year in a row, we teamed up with ISA and the municipality of Tola to serve as environmental auditors during the event, promote ocean conservation education, and keep the beach litter free.

We were stoked to partner with Project WOO on the beach clean ups. Thanks to WOO's Bo Fox and the many community volunteers and surfing voluntourists he rallied, we're convinced Playa Jiquiliste was the cleanest beach in the world the week of the tournament. Catch up with WOO, an orgnization dedicated to community-driven development in Latin American surf travel destinations, on the Day 7 Highlights (video below).

Next year ISA returns to Nicaragua for the World StandUp Paddle and Paddleboard Championship, which will take place on Lake Nicaragua and in the waves of the Pacific, spanning the Paso del Istmo, where we work.