Mining, Logging, and Monocultures Devour Indigenous Territories in Nicaragua's Pacific

Extractive industries and agricultural monocultures are causing severe environmental degradation across eight indigenous territories in Nicaragua's Central-North Pacific, threatening the survival of the Chorotega, Nahoa, and Sutiava communities. A recent investigation reveals that activities such as mining, logging, sand extraction, monoculture farming, and unregulated tourism are primarily driven by external actors. The benefits largely accrue to companies, private entities, or structures linked to local and national power, while the natural resources vital to the indigenous populations, water, forests, and biodiversity, are significantly damaged. This deterioration directly impacts the communities' living conditions and their very existence. One community member from Urbaite, Las Pilas, on Ometepe Island, stated that these are "totally extractive projects from an environmental point of view, but they are also extractive from the point of view of indigenous territory because indigenous property is not recognized as such." The research, conducted by the Central American Association for Development and Democracy (Red Local) and Fundación Sin Límites, highlights a persistent lack of institutional recognition and a development model that disregards indigenous territoriality in Nicaragua's Pacific region. Interviewees reported that this disregard undermines their community autonomy, the continuity of ancestral customs, their ability to manage local resources and projects, their quality of life, and their identity as indigenous peoples. "Indigenous authorities are not effectively recognized by municipal or national governments. Decisions about the territory are made without indigenous participation, and there is manipulation and imposition in the election of their authorities," the study warns. Indigenous governance in the Central-North Pacific of Nicaragua is characterized by constant tension between traditional authorities and municipal structures. While indigenous leaders retain community legitimacy, their lack of state recognition severely limits their influence in decision-making processes. The study points out that consultation processes, when they occur, are often limited and non-binding, reinforcing the perception that communities are secondary actors in policy-making that directly affects them. This systemic issue perpetuates the environmental and social challenges faced by these indigenous territories.