Guyana’s wildlife unveiled
“This book showcases the dedicated work by the Wapichan and Makushi peoples to conserve and manage their wildlife.”
Groundbreaking assessment tracks human-animal coexistence in the Rupununi
New book is the first and most comprehensive guide for sustainably managing wildlife in partnership with local people
Guyana’s Rupununi ecosystem, Region 9, is sometimes called the ‘land of giants’ because of its many thriving communities of large animals like jaguars, giant river otters and harpy eagles. Today, this nature-lover’s paradise is a little less mysterious thanks to the first and most comprehensive assessment of Rupununi’s wildlife populations and their coexistence with humans.
The book, “Wildlife and the People in the Rupununi,” is the result of nearly six years (2018-2023) of engagement by the FAO’s Sustainable Wildlife Management Programme (SWM) in Guyana, which is led by CIFOR-ICRAF and funded primarily by the European Union. At nearly 300 pages, this achievement is a reference guide for governments and communities to better understand and protect their biodiversity from a variety of factors including un-managed fires, expanding road infrastructure, potential increases in the demand for wild meat, and encroaching commercial interests like gold mining and timber felling.
Photo caption
“This book represents the best available knowledge on mammals, fish and turtles in the Rupununi,” said Nathalie van Vliet, senior associate researcher at CIFOR-ICRAF and coordinator for the SWM Programme in Guyana. “It highlights the important uses of these species’ for Indigenous Wapichan and Makushi peoples – for their cultures and livelihoods – and showcases these communities’ dedicated work to conserve and manage their wildlife.”
In May 2024, the EU announced it would extend the SWM programme in Guyana due to its success thus far, and the EU Ambassador to Guyana, René van Nes, presented the first copy of ‘Wildlife and People in the Rupununi’ to the Prime Minister of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, Brigadier (R’td) Mark Phillips.
SWM Guyana has built strong relationships with Indigenous communities in Rupununi with pioneering community-led monitoring systems for wildlife that combine scientific technologies (e.g. camera traps, sound devices and eDNA) and Indigenous knowledge. Seven communities and more than 20 monitors have been trained to collect data that can inform local management as well as observe changes in biodiversity conservation over time. Moreover, five communities are now actively involved in monitoring river turtles – about 80 nests per year.
The Programme has also strengthened civil society organizations, who implement three major wildlife management plans in the region: the Wapichan Wiizi Wildlife Management Plan, the North Rupununi Wetlands Fisheries Co-management, and the Regional River Turtle Management Plan. SWM partnered with four NGOs and two umbrella indigenous organizations, helping increase their in-house expertise, professionalism, and management capacities.
This has allowed them to become major regional players in safeguarding biodiversity and developing diversified, nature-based economies. For example, SWM’s engagement helped the Rupununi Livestock Producers Association (RLPA) transform from a small organization into the major stakeholder responsible for developing a thriving livestock and poultry production sector in the region. The South Rupununi Conservation Society (SRCS) also evolved from a small grassroots NGO to a national leader in the conservation of emblematic species such as the red siskin, armadillos, turtles and anteaters.
The SRCS president and founding member, Leroy Ignacio, was also honoured in 2024 with the prestigious ‘Green Oscar,’ properly known as the Witley Award for Nature, for his work to conserve the Red Sisken – a small, endangered finch species. Ignacio, who is also a local wildlife expert and Indigenous Makushi man, accompanied scientists in 2000 to verify the bird’s presence, sparking the co-creation of a 75,000-hectare Community Managed Conservation Zone with five Indigenous communities. Red Siskin distribution assessments were actively supported by the SWM programme, and the funding from the award will further help the SRCS strengthen monitoring and management in the Zone.
Overall, the SWM programme in Guyana has contributed to foster Indigenous-led stewardship for wildlife, contributing to the sustainable management and conservation of important biocultural landscapes that could significantly contribute to meet the 30X30 agenda of the United Nations Global Biodiversity Framework.