The country of Nicaragua, like many in the developing world, has suffered from devastating deforestation over the last few decades. This community-based project will support much needed reforestation efforts in Nicaragua that will increase biodiversity, improve watershed health and soil quality, and create healthier communities by putting thousands of trees back into the ground.
In Nicaragua, 90% of deforestation is attributed to the use of fuel wood and more than 80% of the urban and rural poor in Nicaragua still cook with wood. Deforestation due to domestic and commercial wood consumption is compounded by the fact that Nicaragua is the poorest country in Central America. This rampant deforestation leads to many problems, including loss of biodiversity, soil and watershed degradation, and decreased habitat.
Our community-based reforestation program in Nicaragua supports the planting of fruit, hardwood, coffee, and nut trees in protected areas and around the homes of families. These reforestation efforts improve the environment while providing economic and nutritional value to beneficiary communities. In addition, all of our tree nurseries are community-led, creating much needed employment and environmental stewardship opportunities for marginalized communities.
Planting 10,000 trees will greatly improve water and soil quality in deforested areas of Nicaragua, leading to healthier communities and ecosystems. In addition, approximately 10,000 tons of carbon dioxide will be sequestered over the lifetime of these trees, greatly reducing the amount of harmful greenhouse gases in the environment.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
