Darwin Initiative
Rupununi projects celebrate completion
Education and training is fundamental for biodiversity conservation efforts in countries such as Guyana that are poor in technical capacity and financial resources. However, this can only take place over the medium- to long-term and requires substantial institutional, as well as personal commitment on behalf of local and external activists and researchers. This was a key conclusion from the Sustainable Management of the Rupununi: linking people, wildlife and environment project, which led to the development of the Post-Darwin funded Assessing the Impacts of NRAMP project which officially ended in March 2008.
Events in Georgetown and the North Rupununi celebrated eight years of British and Guyanese collaboration in wetland natural resource monitoring, management and capacity building. At the event in Georgetown, attended by Amerindian community members, activists, conservationists, NGO representatives and government officials, the British High Commissioner in Guyana, Mr Fraser Wheeler, outlined the Darwin Initiative and its contribution to conservation and development in Guyana. He highlighted the impact of the two Darwin Initiative funded projects and the significant difference they have made to the conservation and livelihood activities within the North Rupununi, as well as to Guyanese civil society and government.
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Dr Matthew Simpson, of the Wetlands and Wildlife Trust, who attended the event on behalf of the UK partners, outlined how the project had achieved more than was described in the original proposal by extending the project partnership to a range of organizations. The key documents and outputs were officially handed over to partner organisations by Guyanese project members, and the successes highlighted:
- Community website - this serves as a communication portal for local people to highlight the region, culture, livelihood activities, including ecotourism, and research publications to the wider world. See www.nrwetlands.org.gy
- Wetlands tourist guide - this highlights key wetland tourist attractions and wildlife and will generate revenue for the local communities.
- Primary school environmental education pack - this includes teacher lesson plans and student activity books on wetlands and the wider impacts on them for Grades 5 and 6. Further funding from the British High Commission in Guyana has allowed the printing and distribution of these school packs to all schools and children across Guyana.
- The North Rupununi Adaptive Management Process (NRAMP) - this approach facilitates adaptive management of natural resources based on the experiences of working in the North Rupununi.
- Community Course - this helps build capacity at community level to carry out adaptive management of natural resources. It works through the NRAMP using problem-based and self-reflective teaching and learning approaches. Over 40 people have currently been trained and the course will now be run through a local training facility.
- Ranger and Environmental Officer Course - this uses the NRAMP approach to build capacity of government and NGO staff. Over 30 staff have been trained already and the course will be incorporated into core institutional training at the Environmental Protection Agency and the Iwokrama International Centre. It will also be offered at the training centre in the North Rupununi for local community members.
- Wetlands Postgraduate Course - this course is a continuing professional development course aimed at senior staff within government agencies and NGOs, and conservation and development consultants. This will be become the basis of a full Masters programme in natural resource management at the University of Guyana.
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Sean Mendonca, a junior researcher on the project, commented:
It was fantastic to hand over the project outputs to the various organisations. We had a great sense of achievement knowing that the organisations will be adopting the outputs and implementing them throughout Guyana.Indranee Roopsind, senior researcher, highlighted the impact of the NRAMP:
The NRAMP is a commonly heard word in many communities in the North Rupununi nowadays. People realise the potential of using the approach.
The celebratory event ended with a debate on the future of the North Rupununi Wetlands. A panel comprised of Guyanese conservationists and development activists, discussed issues of governance, exploitation and management of the natural resources in the region. The North Rupununi Wetlands are comprised of a wide range of unique wetland types, each supporting distinctive assemblages of birds and other wildlife (presented in the journal Biodiversity and Conservation, 2008, in press). The project found that at present, the wetlands are in a healthy state, supporting both biodiversity and local livelihoods. However, there is increasing pressure for development through extractive activities in the region. The findings of this project indicate that the diverse nature of the wetlands, namely the different types of ponds, creeks, rivers etc., would need to be maintained if biodiversity and the dependence of local people on the natural resources were to be ensured.
Looking to the future and summarising the thrust of the panel discussion, William Andries, chair of the North Rupununi District Development Board, an umbrella organization for the local Amerindian communities, stated that:
we [the Amerindian communities] cannot manage the natural resources of the North Rupununi alone, as we are not in isolation. As a country we need to make the right decisions that will ensure that this rich place that is the North Rupununi Wetlands continues to provide the services not just to the people who live there, but also the wider Guyanese and global population.
Page last modified: Tuesday, 13 May 2008