IBG Mowforth B cosiguina

Sustainable Tourism Development in the Cosigüina
Peninsula of Nicaragua
Martin Mowforth
Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Plymouth, UK
HONDURAS
Esteli
NICARAGUA
Puerto Morazán
Vol.
Cosigüina Chinandega
León Vol. Momotombo
Lake Managua
P
a
Managua
c
Granada
if
Masaya
ic
[
0
km 100
0
miles
O
c
e
S e a
Ocotal
Rivas
a
n
100
Isla Ometepe
Lake
Nicaragua
Bluefields
San Carlos
Rio
Sa
n
COSTA RICA
The Cosigüina Peninsula
of Nicaragua
C a r i b b e a
n
The Cosigüina Peninsula of northwest Nicaragua is an area of dry
tropical forest, with little of the forest
remaining. Its volcanic soils offer rich
farming land for large scale
plantations of banana, sugar cane,
sesame seed, sorghum and other
export crops. As transnational
companies take over these lands, so
the local campesino families are
displaced and move higher upslope
to continue their precarious attempts
at survival agriculture. Consequently
the cycle of land degradation
continues along with widespread soil
and water contamination by
chemicals and humans.
Punta San José
El Rosario
FARALLONES
DE COSIGUINA
VOLCAN
COSIGUINA
J u an
700
500
GULF OF FONSECA
300
El Paraíso
0
Punta
Cosigüina
El Tanque
As a rural area, the peninsula's infrastructure has had little investment, and neither
running water nor a sewage system can be found outside El Viejo, the only town. A few
of the 130 communities have an intermittent supply of electricity. In such circumstances,
poverty and malnutrition are common. But also in these circumstances a local, nonprofit organisation called SELVA is attempting to initiate a small scale ecotourism
scheme to offer local people a means of diversifying their sources of income.
In 1998, funded by the Methodist Relief and Development Fund, Dr Mowforth carried
out a feasibility study of the scheme; and he now serves as advisor to SELVA on its
implementation.
10
El Chorro
El Puente
Cosigüina
RVS
Mangle Alto
Puerto Arturo
Bahia
San Francisco
Puerto
Arturo
El Congo
PE
N
ESTERO
Puerto Morazán
VE INS
NE UL
CI A
A
ci
fic
PADRE
RAMOS
ESTERO
Venecia
LA VIRGEN
O
ce
Padre Ramos
Los Zorros
Jiquilillo
a
n
Manzano
Los Clavos
Nagualapa
El Viejo
0
5
10
15 Km
Aserradores
[
Isla de Aserradores
Chinandega
LEGEND
“Peninsula Cosiguina” wildlife
reserve established 1958 (RVS)
Wilderness area “Volcan Cosigüina”
and “Farallones de Cosigüina”
International border
Contours (metres)
And some of the area's attractions
The Gulf of Fonseca and Punta Cosigüina
NICARAGUA
PUNTA
MANGLE
ALTO
EST
E RO R E AL
Laguna
Cañas Blancas
San Marcos
La Vaca
Mechapa
Pa
HONDURAS
Potosí
El Capulín
Laguna
Volcán
Cosigüina
San Cristobal Volcano in action
River
Paved, all-weather road
Unsurfaced road
Town
Settlement, Indian village, military post, ranch etc.
Mangroves and herons
The fishing catch in Padre
Ramos Bay
... and some of its problems
Mangrove destruction to make way for
the farming of shrimps for export
SELVA has ambitious plans to create the Tezoatega
Ecological Park on land it manages in the town of El Viejo