Paso Pacífico Blog - Paso Pacifico

Changing Oceans, Changing Habitat

We've already posted about the Changing Oceans special issue of Science, but we think it's important to focus on how climate change is affecting marine wildlife habitat. Marine ecosystems are centrally important to the biology of the planet, yet a comprehensive understanding of how anthropogenic climate change is affecting them has been poorly developed. Recent studies indicate that rapidly rising greenhouse gas concentrations are driving ocean systems toward conditions not...

Leatherback Conservation on the Pacific Coast of Nicaragua

Felicitaciones to our friends at Fauna & Flora International. Their Leatherback Conservation project was named Eco-Index Eco-Initiative of the Month: Through this project, Fauna and Flora International (FFI) aims to contribute to the conservation of the critically endangered leatherback turtles on the three most important nesting beaches of Nicaragua’s Pacific Coast. This goal builds on FFI’s progress in beach monitoring and capacity building since 2002, and implements critical elements of...

Bringing Light to Rural Nicaragua

This week only, you can support Paso Pacífico by participating in this e-Bay auction for one of eight solar powered, designer handbags. Proceeds will go to supporting Paso Pacífico’s program in partnership with Portable Light, which distributes solar-powered lights to women and children in energy-poor Nicaraguan communities. For the many families without electricity, simple nightly tasks like finishing homework or cooking dinner become possible for the first time. Additionally, Paso Pacífico...

The Science of Changing Oceans

"The ocean is a dynamic and rapidly evolving environment, a long-appreciated truth which becomes increasingly apparent as we observe it ever more carefully." Last month, Science magazine ran a special issue on ocean science and ocean conservation. We especially liked the updates on new technologies for studying the ocean. Two such examples are buoys and fiber-optic cables. Buoys: There are now over 4000 science buoys in the world's oceans, gathering temperatures, wave...

ICAPO in Nicaragua

Paso Pacífico’s sea turtle program is made possible through collaboration and information sharing with scientists around the world. Our work with the Eastern Pacific Hawksbill Initiative (ICAPO) focuses on the Hawksbill turtle, one of the rarest, most endangered sea turtles in the Eastern Pacific. Last year, Paso Pacífico and scientists from this network successfully placed the first satellite tag on a Hawksbill Sea Turtle in Nicaragua, allowing us to track the...

Survivor: Paso del Istmo

News that CBS’s hit reality television show Survivor is filming its Fall 2010 season in the Paso del Istmo dominated Nicaraguan headlines this past month. Filming is taking place south of the popular beach town San Juan del Sur, in a section of the Paso del Istmo Biological Corridor which Paso Pacifico is striving to preserve. For those unfamiliar with the show, Survivor contestants are left to “survive” unfamiliar terrain,...

Meet the Forester

As our Community Forester, Miguel Melendez plays a lead role conserving forests in the Paso del Istmo by assessing the status of tree seedlings and coordinating the teams of workers that clear weeds and brush. A lifetime farmer, Don Miguel’s leadership and years of experience have helped the trees in our reforestation projects thrive. Don Miguel is also a leader in his community, helping catalyze improvements to schools, roads, and...

Tradeoffs: Baby Turtles and Beach Clean Ups

FireDogLake posts on the continuing challenges of the gulf oil spill: The Pensacola News Journal states that heat indices of 114 have regularly been observed on the beach there. It should not be surprising then, that with the health of cleanup workers in mind, the efforts are being moved to nighttime, when conditions are much more tolerable. Sadly, however, lighting Florida beaches at night is a huge mistake, because hatchling...

New International Coalition for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

From the AAAS Policy Alert:Representatives from 90 countries have joined together to approve the formation of an Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) by the UN General Assembly. IPBES will carry out high-quality peer reviews of the science on biodiversity and ecosystems to provide gold standard reports to governments and will outline policy options and responses making sense of reports and assessments conducted by United Nations...

Pelican Eyes & Green Iguanas

We're pleased to be working with Pelican Eyes Hotel and Resort to reestablish populations of native Green Iguanas in the natural habitats surrounding San Juan del Sur, educate visitors and local population about the valuable role that these reptiles play, and the importance of wildlife protection.