Patrol

WINNER: 2023 FHFF BEST EXPLORERS & ADVENTURES

Nicaragua is facing an escalating crisis. Illegal cattle ranchers and miners are destroying the Indio-Maiz Biological Reserve — one of the last remaining rainforests in Central America. Deforestation is leading to the destruction of biodiversity, traditional ways of life, and climate change. Commodities produced on illegally converted lands are finding their way to unsuspecting consumers in the US and other major markets.

Every year animal agriculture produces more greenhouse gases than all of the transportation sector, accelerating global warming and putting the future of humanity at risk. Mesoamerica is a biodiversity hotspot; with only 0.5 percent of the world's land surface, the region is home to 7 percent of its biological diversity.

The indigenous and Afro-descendent peoples are addressing the threat head-on—fighting back to protect their territory and way of life. This is the story of Patrol.