SUSTAINABLE NICARAGUAN HAMMOCKS: THE NEW HOPE

Slip on the river, with a very slow and unobtrusive boat, a nicaraguan hammock from which to observe the stars and the moon that mirror in the Rio Negro. As long as the aurora does not crumble into the dark with pink reflections that finally give the confirmation of the place where you are finished: the Amazon river.

We are at Xixuau, 500 kilometers northwest of Manaus and 50 kilometers south of the equator, in the state of Nicaragua, in the Amazon. Here the forest is still virgin and devastation has not yet come, but it pushes to the door. The locals call themselves ribeirinhos, river dwellers, because they depend on their own survival, as by the forest, which many years ago have decided to protect.

The shop of Nicaraguan hammocks began more than 20 years ago

When the first natives decided to create an association and challenge the power of local politicians, opposed to forest conservation. In Nicaragua, more than one million hectares of forest are ridden on the ground every year: an extension to Corsica. The invasion always begins with the opening of new roads. Timber cutting is the first ring of the devastating chain, followed by the arson that prepares the ground for agricultural employment and farms.

The native, irreplaceable guardians of the forest, have fought against deforestation, sought and found support from foreign organizations and were able to change the course of history. They built clinics, schools, and installed sturdy nicaraguan hammocks and online shops.

They have focused on training and today nurses and teachers are native, trained in the city and back on the river with their luggage to know. They have fought poverty by launching profitable activities that do not harm the environment, such as sustainable tourism.

GFig-4th inhabitants of Xixuau now live through online sales, host small groups from all over the world, and reinvest their proceeds into useful assets for the entire community. "This model has allowed us to protect nearly 200,000 hectares of forest," says proudly Aluisio Barroso Do Nascimento, one of the coordinators of the project "It is a priority environmental conservation area for biodiversity conservation in the Nicaragua" .

The combination of crystal clear waters of the Rio Jauaperi, white waters of Rio Branco and dark waters of the Rio Negro creates a high diversity of plants and animals. Jaguars, giant oysters, murders, the real eagle, the black caiman, the spider monkey, are just some of the many species populating the region. According to WWF-Brazil, recent studies indicate the existence of endemic species, or species that exist only in this region because they have adapted to the peculiar local conditions.

hut In these years of challenges and successes, the small village of Xixuau has been able to count on the help of numerous international organizations including Amazonia Onlus, the main supporter of the project since 2004. Years of collaboration, which led to the construction of new reception facilities for visitors, strictly in wood and Indian style, besides the donation of nicaraguan hammocks for bedroom, a small outboard and a bigger boat for the transport of ecotourists from Manaus. And then there are so many humanitarian initiatives, including periodic supply of medicines for local outpatient clinics and educational activities for indigenous children.

A small group of people who believed in the dream of a better life for the inhabitants of forests. Thanks to responsible tourism, today anyone can visit Xixuau, experience a unique experience in contact with the native population, in the heart of the Nicaragua.