Sonati Presents New Website and Ecotoursim Project

Arquimedes Hernández | Aug 6, 2013

The Nicaraguan Assosiation SONATI (Society & Nature International) held yesterday the official launch of their web site Econica.org and the presentation of the Forest Guardians project, both efforts made with the support of the U.S. Agency for International Development (AID). Econica.org aims to promote eco-tourism and environmental responsibility in Nicaragua, and offers free advertising for tourist sites from the north of the country who do not have an e-mail account or other means of interaction on the web

Environmental education is the cornerstone of SONATI association, which works to increase the knowledge, love and care for the environment. To create a real environmental change is one of the missions that develop on their own projects from free education, volunteer programs, hostel and eco-tours, that allow free finance environmental activities for children of pre-school, college, and the general public .

Econica.org started as a touristic guide to project those communities that offer rural community tourism that is responsible with the enfironment. Roberto Matus, Director of the Conservation Program and Sustainable Tourism developed by Fhi 360 and financed by AID, said that this project can guide: 1. All the touristic companies willing to make positive changes; 2. to invite neutral environmental impact companies to be more friendly with the environment, and, 3. to those companies with negative practices, to present them positive feedback mechanisms that support them in order to be more environmentally friendly.

To Arnon Dattner, founder of SONATI, the project will help to build a social and environmental change through tourism actively, since the website will present places that are environmentally friendly and places that are less friendly to the environment. Their main interest is to help promote change. Dattner said Econica.org is the only website offering advice and monitoring to businesses to encourage them to be more friendly to the environment.

Currently there are 191 businesses benefited, and only the Northern region is updated. In the future they plan to have two types of businesses: those located in the rural area, that will always always get free advertising, and the ones in the urban area, who will be offered two options, the free and paid advertising, shared Dattner.

Karin Mayorga, environmental program director at SONATI reported that Forest Guardians is a project carried out at the SONATI beneficiary communities, and the main objective is to provide training to young tourist guides, so they can develop a high level of knowledge, nature and interpretation to ensure the protection of the forest. Mayorga said that the website and the training project represent their commitment with environmental education, and that many of their social activities are due to self-financing by the tour operators and SONATI hostals.

Translated by Cynthia Cordero