Wildlife Conservation Insights | Paso Pacifico Blog

Press Release with SoftServe

Press Release: SoftServe and Paso Pacífico to Deliver a Digital Platform for Tropical Forest Restoration SoftServe supports the non-profit Paso Pacifico to develop a digital platform to slow climate change through tropical forest restoration in Central America. The project has started within Open Tech, SoftServe’s corporate pro bono program, where the company’s associates volunteer to deliver tech solutions for communities. Carbon emission is one of the primary drivers of climate...

Fotografía de Daniel Boyano S. Humpback whale tail in Los Cobanos, El Salvador. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0, posted by Flickr user zambomba.

I Monitored Humpback Whales!

Guest post by Paso Pacífico volunteer Ula Leavitt. In early 2023, Ula traveled to Playa Los Cóbanos, El Salvador on our behalf to participate in humpback whale research with Proyecto Megaptera. Their research is being carried out in partnership with The Society for Marine Mammalogy, Panacetacea, PRIMMA/UABCS, IDEA WILD, La Orca de Sayulita, Fundación Naturaleza El Salvador, Bar Ballena and Ministerio de Medio Ambiente. I am a 16 year old...

Women Rangers Leading the Way

Our three female educators have completed their 10th year leading the Junior Ranger environmental education program. As members of the local community, these women are well-equipped to connect with other locals and to maintain constant contact with family members of the Junior Rangers. They work hand in hand with sea turtle technicians, biologists, and other conservation experts to bring the kids first-class instruction. As supplement to the lessons, field trips...

Popular Misconceptions about Bats

Halloween is often associated with bats, which can lead to some pretty widespread misconceptions. For instance, have you ever heard someone say, “He’s blind as a bat!” If you have, you may want to keep reading… Can you be blind as a bat? Despite this popular phrase being recited across pop culture, bats aren’t actually blind. Though they have small eyes, their vision is just fine! What’s the longest living...

Unique Hawksbills!

Your support for our sea turtle program is vital for the future of the hawskbill sea turtle in the Pacific Ocean. Recent research by members of the Eastern Pacific Hawksbill Initiative (ICAPO), including members of our team, collected genetic samples from critically endangered hawskbill sea turtles. Samples were collected from both juvenile turtles that were feeding in mangroves and on reefs, and adult female turtles that were nesting on beaches...

New Jaguar Video!

Thanks to donors like you, we continue to capture evidence of jaguars, which are keystone predators in western Central America. This past spring, we came across a jaguar and her cubs! While we couldn’t catch them on camera, we did get this video of a juvenile male jaguar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnJ6NVyLfUs Our efforts to protect forest habitat in partnership with communities and landowners is helping jaguars and other important animals recover from...

Celebrating World Female Ranger Week

World Female Ranger Week starts today, June 23rd, and ends on June 30th. Organizers of this special week interviewed five of our women sea turtle rangers as part of their mission to “amplify the world of female rangers around the world.” We hope you’ll consider donating to our World Female Ranger Week fundraiser to support the work of these amazing women! Hear from them below. Liessi Calero exhuming sea turtle...

The Importance of Global Big Day

Paso Pacifico rangers kicked off Global Big Day across twenty-two locations with fifty enthusiastic citizen scientists. From dusk to dawn, the rangers documented a total of 233 species! Global Big Day is an opportunity for bird enthusiasts across the globe to participate in citizen science. Founded in 2015, this celebration of birds has continued in spite of the Covid-19 pandemic, with some adjustments, of course. With various supplemental apps and...

Paso del Istmo Yellow-Naped Amazons

Yellow-Naped Amazon Numbers Are Declining in Most Habitats The yellow-naped amazon parrot, native to coastal regions from southern Mexico to northern Costa Rica, is currently hovering on the brink of extinction. This is due in part to habitat loss caused by agricultural development, as well as heavy poaching into the illegal pet trade throughout Central America. In the 1990s, almost 100% of known nests in southern Guatemala were poached. A...

Keep Yellow-Naped Amazons Wild

Why These Parrots Are Popular Pets The yellow-naped amazon parrot is a highly popular pet in Central American households and elsewhere. In addition to being colorful, it is at least as intelligent as the average toddler and is naturally social, curious, and playful as well. These birds have long lifespans and are skilled at mimicking human speech. Outside of their adolescent period, they’re also less likely to bite, which adds...

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