Over the past three years, Paso Pacifico’s Environmental Leadership and Entrepreneurship for Geotourism Project—the ELLAS Initiative—has strengthened female business owners and improved the management of natural resources in communities surrounding La Flor Wildlife Refuge. This project was originally conceived as part of the National Geographic Geotourism Challenge, which was supported by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and Ashoka Changemakers. The project idea won the challenge and went on to receive $883,116 in funding support from IDB's Multilateral Investment Fund (FOMIN).

The ELLAS Initiative has changed lives as well as significantly increasing local attitudes of conservation. A hostel owner, Sonia, said this after participating in the project: “I feel empowered, and now I look at myself as an entrepreneur. We went from informality to having vision . . . Aspiring is not only believing in dreams, it is changing one’s attitude to see the changes.”

In addition to supporting local economic development, the ELLAS Initiave supported a range of activities that, over time, will improve the health of La Flor Wildlife Refuge. For example, the project helped reactivate the collaborative management committee at the wildlife refuge, enabling greater participation from communities within the buffer zone of the reserve. It also brought in experts to help design new interpretive signs for the reserve, recommend ways to reduce human impact on sea turtle nesting habitat, and monitor waterways and reefs to track environmental quality.

Some project activities spurred innovation in conservation, including the design of a financing mechanism for sea turtle conservation that relies on ecosystem markets and allows for greater accountability through third-party audits of conservation impact. Another exciting contribution was the technical assistance provided to the Ostional oyster cooperative, which is now supported through The Waitt Foundation but which received matching technical assistance from FOMIN that enabled the women to form a cooperative for their shellfish business.

Paso Pacifico expects to see local geotourism continue to increase and benefit local economies. We also hope to see biodiversity increase; we expect the number of turtle hatchlings increase by fifty percent in the long term. When geotourism is a major component of local household incomes, community members are more invested in protecting wildlife. With our partners, we will continue working to educate youth, support conservation, and support the community.

New community-based tours in the area near the La Flor Wildlife Refuge were recently profiled by Nicaragua Turismo e Inversión, a bilingual magazine on tourism and investment in Nicaragua. Click here for a text-only version of the article or click here to view the article in spreads. These tours were developed or improved by Paso Pacifico through the ELLAS Initiative. 

This article, which is in the magazine's latest issue, briefly describes the ELLAS Initiative and praises the variety of experiences in “The South Route: Forests & Turtles,” also called the Ruta del Sur. Among other activities, tourists can snorkel with turtles, visit an archaeological site, witness nesting sea turtles, and hike, bike, and horseback ride with local guides on the area’s scenic trails.