history and culture
Chacocente officially became a protected reserve in 1983. This transpired in order to protect sea turtles and the remaining tropical dry forest due to its socioeconomic, ecological, and scientific importance (Gerhardt, 1510). Unfortunately, timber has been exploited for domestic consumption and is an export commodity. The domestic consumption has a lot to do with a huge dependency on firewood as a primary energy source in Nicaragua (Sabogal, 408). For the Nicaraguan government, it was only logical they must legally protect the land from more deforestation because of the invaluable fauna that grows in Chacocente. Beginning in 2009, the Chacocente reserve took measures to create sustainable ecotourism to ensure that minimal environmental degradation occurred due to the presence of tourists. In order to support the reserve organizations such as USAID, Flora and Fauna International (FFI), and the Forestry Service of the United States have given much monetary aid in order to educate people on how to improve the local economy through ecotourism (Coria, 2015).