Socio-environmental changes and landscape restoration processes in Tiscapa Lagoon

Abstract

The Tiscapa Lagoon is one of the most representative natural, historical and cultural spaces of the city of Managua. Since pre-Hispanic times, the first indigenous groups established in the territory recognized this body of water as a fundamental resource for subsistence, using its waters for domestic supply, fishing, the collection of natural resources and practices associated with their worldview. With the urban development of Managua during the 19th and 20th centuries, the lagoon maintained its importance as a space for recreation, social gathering and supply, also integrating into the popular economy through activities such as the work of washerwomen on its banks.

However, starting in the second half of the 20th century, accelerated urban growth, demographic increase, infrastructure expansion, accumulation of solid waste, stormwater discharges and territorial transformations after the 1972 Managua Earthquake caused progressive environmental deterioration, affecting water quality, biodiversity and traditional practices linked to the site. Faced with this scenario, the Nicaragua´s Government of Reconciliation and National Unity (GRUN) has promoted conservation, reforestation and landscape recovery actions that have allowed Tiscapa to be redefined as a space of memory, tourism and heritage, although challenges related to its ecological sustainability and social appropriation persist.