First anniversary of the Private Wildlife Reserve of MLR Forestal at Matiz farm

Luis López, Sustainable Development Manager at MLR Forestal, calls the Matiz Private Wildlife Reserve “an important host of biodiversity on the North Caribbean Coast, a wildlife refuge and a great green laboratory for academia, community, universities and schools.”

More than 67 of the 487 hectares of the Matiz farm owned by MLR Forestal, located on the outskirts of the urban area of Siuna, have completed one year of having been recognized by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARENA) as a Private Wildlife Reserve.

“This year we have restored areas adjacent to the reserve. We have selected 40 hectares of riparian forests to ensure there is effective connectivity between other sites and the main core of Bosawas reserve. Matiz will allow us to achieve the sustainable development goals of MLR Forestal, but also the national objectives in compliance with the restoration of sites near the Bosawas reserve, in the buffer zone specifically,” said López.

Private wildlife reserve is a refuge for species

Norlan López, territorial delegate of MARENA in the North Caribbean, described the private wildlife reserve as a “very good area, despite the effects of hurricanes Eta and Iota in the region” and said he was sure that “during these phenomena hundreds of animals were housed there.” It is for this reason that Matiz’s objective “is to go in search of a biological corridor that connects with the nearest protected areas that are the Bosawas Biosphere Reserve and the Saslaya National Park.”

The delegate also said that in the private wildlife reserve “we have already released species such as sloths and agouti and that is the idea, that it serves as a temporary or permanent refuge for the species that we rescue from the urban area and from any danger and that we can relocate it in that private wildlife reserve. ”

“It helps us that Matiz is close (to the population center of Siuna) because we can exchange experiences, we can show other companies or private producers how the conservation issue is worked. It is also key from a research and educational point of view. Field training can be done in terms of forest inventory, bird watching and other topics, “said Norlan López.