This gift in action
The Bosawas Reserve is the second largest rainforest in the Western Hemisphere, after the Amazon in Brazil. The Bosawas also overlaps the homelands for the indigenous Mayagna and Miskito peoples. For these indigenous people the forest has a strong significance as a source of life- a place which provides food, where they obtain medicinal herbs and where they carry out ceremonies.
Over the last ten years, migrations of people from the central and northern regions of the country have resulted in massive deforestation (up to 100,000 ha per year) due to the rapid and unsustainable clearing of land for agriculture and intensive livestock raising. This has led to soil erosion, water pollution, loss of species of animals and plants, and poses a risk to the way of life of the indigenous population native to the area.
This project aims to address the threats to the forest and its people through advocacy- to ensure the legal protection that the area has on paper is put into practice. It is providing training to develop a new generation of young indigenous leaders to ensure Mayagna people can conserve the forest’s resources for future generations, and protect their ancestral culture.