In the town of Morrovis in the heart of Puerto Rico, there is about 1,950 acres of green maze. The place is famous for its numerous caves, it preserves the stories of ancient Bim, rock art and petroglyphs, from paleobotany, unique fauna studies in the Caribbean, and many other stories about life and subsequent industrialization in Puerto Rico before Spanish colonization.
These stories can be heard in one of the many tours offered by Cabachuelas Project of Cabachuelas Work Cooperative, a community co-operative founded in 2018 by residents of the town of Morrovis to preserve and manage the land found in the nature reserve. Today, cooperatives have positioned themselves as an alternative and effective model that helps protect the natural environment and sustainable economic development in mountainous areas.
Cabachuelas is a field of high ecological value, with a large number of trees that help kidnap carbon dioxide and preserve the island's biodiversity. Like many in the Caribbean, it wants to be used for commercial and hotel purposes. Today, it remains a green space to enjoy the present and future generations, while it is an eco-tourism space that supports the Cabachuelas project and the co-op for eight people. These also help Puerto Rican residents and visitors to understand the natural and cultural heritage of our island. They do this not only through their ecotourism, but also through different social development and service efforts.
Since 2019, they have managed a workshop that has been a space that has had such a positive impact on environmental protection. In November 2024, I was able to visit the sixth session of this workshop, which received opportunities for environmental well-being in Las Cabachuelas, Morovis and the Social Welfare Nature Reserve.
On the morning of November 18, he led to Morrovis. I noticed the big motorcycle fish bit by bit, its severe limestone reliefs are embraced by pods and various plants. I've entered the deep green and lush nature of that limestone mountain range – making up the Sesica region of Puerto Rico, a geographical area where the underground soil is formed from soluble rocks such as limestone. The dissolution of these rocks creates characteristic landscapes of caves, rivers and springs. From the top, they can be seen as a maze of bulky and leafy walls. I see them from my car now.
They can still notice them from downtown Morrovis. It was November 18, 2024, and the Christmas atmosphere began to feel a little bit, which is unique in the mountains of Puerto Rico, and it was eager, the growing temperatures that Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands suffered. I stopped near his residence to go to the Oscar Rodríguez Amphitheater, where the “Sixth Seminar: Cabachuelas, Ecotourism and Archaeology” will be held.
In that room, there were about 70 people, including residents, students, teachers, researchers and many others interested in learning about the work done in partnership with the cooperative. “This workshop is a unique opportunity to connect, strengthen collective action and continue to promote community engagement as a key tool for building a sustainable, supportive and oppressive future for our archipelago,” said José M. Santos Valderrama.
Santos Valderrama continued: “We invite you to use this activity to join the effort, share knowledge and reaffirm the need to work together to protect natural systems, advocate respect for environmental public policy, defend the permanence of our communities, and promote the historic legacy that defines our identity and future.”
It should be noted that the work done by the Cabachuelas project, such as other projects in Puerto Rico, reflects in various places the success of the Ministry of Natural and Environmental Resources, which manages, and preserves natural resources in community-based groups, and the Executive Department of the Government of Puerto Rico is responsible for the conservation, conservation and management of natural resources.
Many times, in order to protect a space, it is obvious to those who live or rely on it. Currently, the cooperation agreements they reached with government entities have managed to insert Morrovis residents into the protection and revitalization of Cabachuelas; to verify and respect people's interference with the natural environment in which they live.
Santos Valderrama stressed that inserting people into the community where the reserves are located, and the rest of Morovis has been key to the conservation process. Furthermore, Cabachuelas “is crucial for the production of oxygen, abduction of carbon abduction, temperature control, and the protection of local biodiversity and groundwater, which can guarantee the quality of life for the community.” Cooperatives have implemented ecotourism, education and social development projects that have positively impacted municipalities, foster work for residents and recognize sustainability. Here are other examples of places where attempts to balance conservation and economic management.
During the workshop, various works were shared in collaboration with different communities and organizations. For example, in collaboration with Arecibo's University of Puerto Rico and Professor Ángel Acosta Colón, a professor at Arecibo, the reserves were studied using powerful radars that have had an impact on virtual reality and three-dimensional printing programs that allow people with mobility or blind challenges to enjoy this protected natural resource.
In addition, memory of Moroveño Roberto Martínez Torres, who died in 2024, was celebrated there, with his archaeological work highlighting the historical and natural values of the region. Professor Reniel Rodríguez of the Utuado wall at the University of Puerto Rico also emphasized belonging and belonging, and expressed Martínez Torres to his people and to Cabachuelas. Although “carso,” “mogotes,” “cuevas,” “protection,” “education” will be the protagonists in the speech among other related words, everyone and everyone else will be accompanied by the word “community”, reflecting the love and belonging necessary to make connections with the environment.
To achieve this, Santos Valderrama told me that it is the importance of bringing the largest number of people in Morovis and Puerto Rico in the management and conservation of natural areas. “Before there is a secret landfill [en Las Cabachuelas]. He said. This has been greatly reduced. There is a greater sense of belonging, and conscience is designed to take care of the environment and understand how my behavior affects others, my flesh, my bones, and my reserves. “They provide a variety of ecotourism guides and work within the scope of Morovis, schools and other organizations.
As stated in a report published on the day of the workshop, the organization is a cooperative, enabling them to generate revenue to support the organization and its employees while allowing them to expand their scope and protect activities.
Furthermore, it enables them to develop a level and engage in decision-making process that reflects the commitment of the community. José Santos Valderrama told me that even in the absence of structural and institutional support and some of the challenges and challenges of economic limitations, they were able to take a path that would allow them to continue to retain and protect the region. “Yes, economic activities [que generamos] It is important to do other work, but if we don't protect that natural system, it will be useless for others. ” He told me.
The symposium was called on to continue to strengthen the bond of friendship and collaboration to continue to be visible that conservation efforts could be made in the context of climate change, thereby providing economic and social benefits. “Some people are already doing what we do here,” Valdrama explained. “From there, although power sounds clickable to many, this power is within us, in the community. However, instead of giving up the need of institutions that respect this management, it supports this management.” He stressed that there is contradiction and complexity in the work they do, like other things that sometimes create tensions in government administration (which expanded in a recent interview with Bianca Graulau).
Finally, Santos Valderrama told me that it is important”[construir] Judging from the knowledge and experience people have, (…) therefore continue to work and advocate for those possible futures. ”
I left that green maze and wanted to go back to explore Cabachuelas and thought that what I learned during this workshop was a possible example of our archipelago. And, remember that, as Valderrama said, we should not give up “living in a prosperous, united, sustainable country, understanding that the economy and ecology must be balanced”.
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