Purple Candelaria Orchid. ©L.Ditmars.

The small rural community of Loma Linda was formed 33 years ago as a cooperative to grow and sell coffee independent of large landowners Since then, coffee prices have dropped and there is an urgent need to diversify the monoculture. The Association ASODILL, an active community-based organization, was formed 21/2 years ago by Pascual Rafael Escobar to find new and environmentally sustainable sources of employment for villagers. The community is deeply concerned about the health of its environment. For example, coffee is grown organically and pesticides are banned from the lands. Fertilizer for crops is produced in a large onsite vermicompost which recycles coffee wastes. Since the formation of ASODILL by Pascual Rafael Escobar, careful strategic planning has resulted in the creation of the ecotourism project. A tour has been developed and presented to several visitor groups using village guides. A tourist hotel is being built, largely with donated Association labour, and a computer has been donated which will form the basis of the ASODILL office.

The Loma Linda Ecotourism Project will attract both local and international interest that will help to secure funding and save the fragile subtropical ecosystem from destructive development. The lands owned by the Loma Linda cooperative include cultivated plots and a 35 hectare protected area which have never been studied by conservationists. In order to protect the ecosystem, it must be described, an inventory created, and the species at risk listed, using international standards such as those of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

An initial survey by Louise Ditmars shows the presence of species in need of protection including Guatemala’s national bird the resplendent quetzal1, a tree fern 2, a magnificent arboreal orchid3, a freshwater crab and several frog species. The Association ASODILL is dedicated to sustainable practice and will carefully choose the kinds of development that can occur here in the future.