Río Coco

Geopark
as a support
for indigenous
community
Martina Paskova, 2011
 Why Geopark Río Coco (GRC)?

 Río Coco (Rio Wangki) as a bioregional and cultural

axis
 Regional development based on local knowledge and
tradicions
 Cultural Identity focusing indigenous people
 Exchange of experiences in sustainable development
(using natural and tradicional values)
Description of the GRC
 GRC description - geography

 North-eastern Nicaragua
 Area aproximately of 6000 km2: departments of Madriz,
Nueva Segovia, a part of Estelí (Pueblo Nuevo, San Juan
de Limay y Condega)
 The GRC headquarters: Somoto
 The mayor atractivity of the GRC: Cañón de Río Coco
Description of the GRC
 Description of the GRC: Attractions
 Cañón de Somoto
 El Guayaba  Ocotal
 Icalupe  Mozonte
 Cerro Volcán de Somoto  Dipilto
 Aguas Calientes (las Peñas)  Ciudad Antigua
 Municipio de Somoto  Totogalpa
 San José de Cusmapa
 San Lucas  Pueblo Nuevo
 Las Sabanas  Condega
 Palacagüina  San Juan de Limay
 Yalagüina
 Telpaneca
 San Juan del Río Coco
 Geological heritage

Geology and Paleonthologic sites:

Geomorphology:  Santa Cruz-Jalapa
 Somoto Canyon  El Bosque - Pueblo Nuevo
 Tres Señoritas Hill (Fossiles)

 Ocotal mines

 Caves
 Archaelogical sites

 Las Pintadas (Icalupe): rupestre arts

 Las Tapias – regional centre of antique culture
 El Frayle – settlements rests
 Aguas Calientes: Petroglifs
 Riito Palacagϋina: Petroglifs
 Architecture

Churches:
 Cultural houses
 Somoto
 Municipal parks
 Ciudad Antigua
 Barrios
 Totogalpa
 Mercados buildings
 Palacagϋina
 Indigenous communities

Organised, welcoming geopark

philosophy:

 San Lucas
 San José de Cusmapa
 Mozonte
 Totogalpa
 Telpaneca
 Traditional handcrafts

 Cuje -Totogalpa: palm  Henequén fabrics -

sombreros Somoto
 Iindigenous: community  Mills Stone Elaboration –
Ceramics - Colective Las Community of San Lucas
Florcitas, Santa Rosa -  Loma Panda: Ceramics
Mozonte
 Biodiversity
 Interpretations for tourists
and scientific investigation Interpretation and scientific
on: investigations on the
 Flora identification connection with social issues:
 Fauna dentification  Antropology
 Forest management  Ethnography
 Ethnobotanics

 Hydrology
E.g. La Reserva
 Geología Tepesomoto - La Patasta
Description of GRC - attractios
 Description of GRC - Geology and
Geomorphology
Cañón de Somoto

• Approximately 7 km large
• Special type of valley, cutting the mountains in the
altitude of 800-900 m
• Very compact ignimbrits rocs from Neocen period
(Miocen Superior)
• Unique features from geomorpholologic point view,
e.g. various forms of erosion, waterfalls or walls
190 m high
Description of GRC - Cañón Río Coco
 Description of GRC: Attractions
Traditions, local knowledge
Festivals, local and regional fiestas – a mixture of spanish
and indigenous (product of the spanish colonization) as “Día
de la Dignidad Indígena“ in San Lucas and religious
festivities as “Santiago Apóstol en Somoto“, “La
peregrinación los ocho“ each month to the Cacaulí Cave,
“La virgen del Rosario“ in Estelí and others.
Production of traditional agricultural products, henequén
fibres, ceramics and rustic workshops.
 Description of GRC: Attractions

Icalupe

 Site of the great cultural importance ubicated 16 km off

Somoto at the altitudeof 8 -10 m above the cliff

 Petroglifs from precolombian period - stylizations in the

form of animal figures, human heads and figures.
Petroglifs of Icalupe
 Description of GRC: Attractions
Somoto Volcano Hill

 One of the most fascinating vistas

 Includes La Reserva Tepesomoto-La Patasta

 In nahuatl: “Cerro lleno de agua“

 Peaks reach altitude of 1730 m

 In the altitude of 1300 m rests of the virgen forests.

 Description of GRC: Attractions
Aguas Calientes

 Site of great cultural importance west of Somoto

 In the ancient times termal springs, after earthquakes the

water disappeared

 Archaelogical artefacts from precolombian period, mainly

petroglifs
 Description del GRC: Attractions
Somoto

 The head of Madriz departament

 Ubicated above the Panamerican road 216 km off
Managua and only 20 km from border with Honduras
 Established in 1591 by Spanish as Santiago de
Tepesomoto
 The principal church – one of the most antigue in
Nicaragua (the time of descovering of Nicaragua)
 More than 20 varieties of rosquillas
 Casa de cultura (Cultural House)
 Archaelogical museum
Somoto church of Santiago Apóstol
 Description of GRC: Attractions
San José de Cusmapa

 A mountain village of 7.000 inhabitants, one of the most

antigue and poor of Nicaragua

 More than 80% of residents indigenous origen

(Chorotegos)

 The principal centre of indigenous culture and tradition

 A women cooperative – elaboration of baskets from the

local pine needles
Artesanía of Cusmapa
 Cooperation for establishment of the GRC
 An interdisciplinary team for preparation of aplication
document: experts (geology, geography, archaeology,
history, etnography, antrophology, biology, paleontology,
sustainable development etc.), municipalities, representants
indigenous people, ministeries and their institutions, privat
businesses and their asociacions, NGOs etc.

The general objective: creation of Rio Coco Geopark and its

application to the Global Geoparks Network assisted by
UNESCO as a pilot project of América Central.
Indigenous Community – Heart of the GRC
 Benefits for actors of GRC
 Ministries and Institutions
 Utilization of the pilot project of Geopark for the América Central
region
 Colaborando en la protección del Patrimonio natural y cultural.

 Municipalitiets
 Improvement of the local development sustainability from the
economic and environmental point of view
 Support of the cultural identity

 Active participation on the building and realizing the vision GRC

 Improvement of the quality of life

 Education and international exchange of students.

 Benefits for actors of the GRC
 Businesses

 Multiplication of incomes

 Promotion

 Capacitation

 Guidelines for Sustainable tourism development

 Information and experiences from other countries

 Professional Associacions

 Active participation in the building of GRC

 Access to relevant information

¿Qué es un Geoparque?
Territorio único y escaso que integra
valores concretos geológicos, estéticos y
culturales donde se realiza una estrategia
de desarrollo local y regional sostenible.
Apoya la identidad cultural, patrimonio
cultural material y espiritual.
Se desarrolla turismo sostenible como la
actividad económica principal, qué se
basa en la interpretación del patrimonio
del Geoparque.
La meta General
La creación del Geoparque Río Coco y su
nominación a la red de Geoparques
Globales de UNESCO como proyecto
piloto de Nicaragua y América Central.
Crear una plataforma para sinergia entre
desarrollo sostenible de economía local,
apoyo de identidad cultural, educación e
investigación científica en región del Río
Coco.
Geoparque del Río Coco
Parte noroeste del país: departamentos
Madriz, Nueva Segovia, parte de Estelí
(Pueblo Nuevo, San Juan de Limay y
Condega)
La sede del Geoparque: Somoto
El mayor atractivo del Geoparque:
Cañón de Río Coco.
Los otros atractivos:
• Icalupe (Las Piedras Pintadas)
• Cerro Volcán de Somoto (Reserva
Natural)
• Tepesomoto - La Patasta (Reserva
Natural)
• Aguas Calientes (Petroglifos)
• Las Tapias (Sitio arqueológico)
• San Lucas (Comunidad indígena)
• Ciudad Antigua (Ciudad Española)
• Ocotal (Las minas)
• El Bosque (Sitio paleontológico)
• Mozonte (Artesanía indígena)
¿Cómo manejarlo?
• Una organización interdisciplinaria
• Oficina y centro interpretativo
• Recursos financieros y humanos
• Estrategia de turismo sostenible
• Sistema de certificación de productos y
servicios sostenibles y locales
• Acreditación de guías locales
• Sistema de información y de reservación
para giras guiadas
• Cursos y talleres de la interpretación del
patrimonio del Geoparque
• Micro-senderos (corredores) turísticos
• Micro-geoparque – piedras que hablan
• Aldea educativa sobre vida chorotega
• Competencias y concursos escolares
• Semana del Geoparque
• Feria del Geoparque
• Conferencia anual
• Revista y página Web del Geoparque
Alianza con Geoparque
Paraíso Bohémico
• Intercambio de experiencias, ideas,
materiales promocionales, estudiantes.
• Preparación común de manuales,
proyectos y promoción de productos de
turismo sostenible.
¿Como contribuir?
Con su participación activa y
conocimiento dando información a
coordinadores del Geoparque del Río
Coco.

¿Como beneficiar?
• Asistir los cursos para guías locales
• Aprovechar promoción y
implementación del turismo sostenible
– venta de comida, artesanía, medicina
indígena.

República Checa
Martina Pásková (Asesora externa)
Martina.Paskova@mzp.cz Ministerio de Medio
Ambiente
Alcaldía de Somoto (Coordinadora)
Edith Palma Flores
de la República Checa
edithnica2007@yahoo.es y Alcaldía de Somoto
Marcio Ariel Rivas Núñez (Gestor
voluntario)
 Benefits for actors of GRC
 Academia:
Access to results of monitoring and investigation in the area of the
GRC with possibility to participate on global geoparks
conferences, international exchange.

 Professional associations:
 Participation on the process of the sensibilising

 Participation on the GRC management

 Access to relevant information.

 How to contribute to the GRC?
 Municipalities: participating in
 Consultative Committee of GRC,

 The GRC week (competitions, fiestas etc)

 Certification of sustainable products and services

 Ministries and institutes: participation on

 Consultative committee of the GRC

 Facilitation of the application process and communication with

UNESCO National Committee
 Databases of programmes for fundraising
 How to contribute to the GRC?
 Academia: participation on
 Consultative committee of GRC
 Investigations on geology, ecology, archaeology, history, social issues etc.

 Databases of programmes for fundraising

 Elaboration of the application document for GRC

 Interest Associations : participating in

 Consultative committee of GRC

 Databases of programmes for fundraising

 Sensibilizing and capacitating of locals (curses, workshops etc.)

 Action Plan

 Elaboration of the application documents

 Sensibilizing

 Capacitating

 Institutional and financial organization

 Action plan - capacitating I.

 System for certification of sustainable products and

services
 System of the acreditation of ecotourism, geotourism
guides
 Elaboration of manuals for guides, TA, producers
 System of knowledge evaluation - expert team
(evaluators, mentors), disegn of certificates etc.
 Actin plan – capacitating II.
 Organization workshops, specialised curses
 Geodiversity as attraction related to biodiversity and

cultural diversity
 History, anthropology, archaeology, palaeontology

 Handcrafts, gastronomy, ecotourism, geotourism

 Tourism impacts – how to regulate positively

 Interpretation of cultural and natural heritage, animation

 Annual Conference of GRC

 Action plan – sensibilization I.
GRC Interpretative centre
 GRC Office

 Micro-geopark – „stones as storytellers“, IT instruments and

interactive and simulative games,

 Internet access, GRC videos

 Interpretative panels and 3D models

 Informational and reservation system for tourism

 Promotional material, information and scientific studies etc.

 Action plan – sensibilization II.
Geopark week of Río Coco Geopark
 Trade Fair of GRC
 Fiesta de GRC: competitions
 The best GRC logo, song, poem, dance, statue etc.

 The best GRC teacher

 The most sustainable GRC company

 The most innovative geotourism product

 The best GRC promotional material etc.

 Exhibitions, excursions and lectures

 Action plan – sensibilization lII.

 Competitions
 Annual GRC Conference )
 GRC website (with the discussion forum)
 GRC magazine
 Geopark as topic of projects, curses, monographies,
diploma works and thesis
 Trails signing and micro-trails (interpretation panels)
 Action plan
Institutional and financial organization

 Establishment of interdisciplinary team

 Elaboration of sustainable tourism strategy
 Priorities to be financed (Ruta del Café, ..)
 GRC management (organigram of consorcium, human
and financial resources, GRC office, status and terms of
reference)
 GRC management plan
 National and international coordination l
 RCG sustainable tourism strategy
Tourism regulation

 Investigations of carrying capacity in vulnerable zones

 Visitors flows management
 Promotion selected itineraries (maps, folders, ...)

 Access regulation:
 Controlled entrance (tickets, tourniquets, ...)
 Small group guides (limited in number and frequency
 Trails management

 Monitoring and regulation of tourism impact

 RCG Management Proposal

Director

Consultive committe
Executive director
Multidisciplinary

Executive team Secretary

Geology
Culture, anthropology Sustainable tourism
Sensibilization

Natural resources Archaelogy Local development

 Cooperation declaration I.
 INETER • Somoto Town Hall
 MARENA
• San Marcos de Colón Town Hall
 INAFOR
 AMUNIC • Municipal DevelopmentComittee
 INTUR • Institute of Culture
 INIFOM • CANTUR – Somoto (Tourism Agency)
 AMMA
• MONEXICO – San Lucas (Indigenous)
 AMUNSE
• Mi Museo
 AMUDES
• UNAN – León (Somoto Regional Seat)
 MAG-FOR
 CDM • Consejera externa – Ministry of the

 MIN Environment, Czech Republic

 Cooperation declaration II.
 GRC as an instrument for implementing of vision of
sustainable development
 Participation in GRC multudisciplinary team
 Cooperation on sensibilization, capacitation
 Avoid negative environmental impacts and trade with
scientifically important geological material
 Databasis of information necessary for GRC
 Fundraising for GRC
 Stimulation of participation of locals (indigenous people)
Thanks
for your
attention!