Nicaragua’s southern Pacific is home to Reserva Natura, a tropical dry forest that is a successful ecological restoration effort owned by Corporación Montelimar. The area has been established by the company under an environmental management model for rainwater harvesting, ecosystem conservation, and protection of wild biodiversity.
Reserva Natura spans 434.12 hectares of forest and features two artificial lakes, La Cerceta and El Lagarto, which together cover approximately 55 hectares of water mirror. With average depths of 22 meters, these lakes allow for the harvesting of 3,600,000 cubic meters of rainwater, while also providing protection to various aquatic and terrestrial species in their habitat. Home to approximately 1,200 species of flora and fauna, Reserva Natura is also a sanctuary for some endangered species.
Reserva Natura has become one of the flagship projects of Corporación Montelimar in terms of environmental protection and conservation, biodiversity monitoring, environmental education, scientific research, and ecotourism, as adaptation measures to the evident impacts of climate change; it is ecologically managed by the mill in partnership with ECO Development Ni.
Several national and international universities and scientists have extensively studied the fauna and flora of Reserva Natura. A valuable result of the work of an important group of researchers is the illustrated book Flórula de la Reserva Natura, which includes 303 species with simple descriptions for all readers and photographs to facilitate their identification in the field. It is one of the most complete publications of its kind in the Pacific region of Nicaragua and is part of the Cultural Collection of Central America, Geography and Nature Series No. 5.
“The environmental commitment of our company is part of the model of doing business in a sustainable way, so we work on strategies to reduce impacts on soil, water and biodiversity. With Reserva Natura we have become pioneers in creating a model of conservation and environmental protection, so we want to invite other companies to visit us and join us in these efforts,” says Oscar Montealegre, General Manager of the company.
Thanks to the management of the forest during the last 14 years, Reserva Natura has fixed 7,500 tons of carbon and infiltrated 1 million m3 of water annually, creating a microclimate that becomes a lung for the country.
The area has a nursery with a production capacity of 120,000 plants per year; it also serves as a national reference and training center for the management of the environmental goods and services of the tropical dry forest through the Ecoescuelas and Ecoempresas programs.
“There are very few agricultural initiatives in Nicaragua that prioritize water harvesting, condensed and infiltrated by forest cover, especially in these times when this vital resource is frequently exposed to the vulnerability imposed by climate change,” says Dr. Jaime Incer Barquero, one of the country’s most prominent scientists and president of ECO Development Ni.
With this contribution to conservation, Corporación Montelimar achieves direct compensation for the water consumed in its operations, demonstrating that Reserva Natura is a model of environmental sustainability that can be replicated anywhere in the world.