Ethnoecology, Resource Use, Conservation And Development In A ...

societies with other parties with whom they share interests in the conservation of the
natural environment, and can thus contribute to local empowerment and control over
the development process. The perspective of ethnoecology provides one of the
clearest demonstrations of the interdependence of cultural and biological diversity.
10.3 Policy Implications
I feel it is important at this point to spell out the implications of the research findings
for policy relating to the engagement of external actors with Amerindian
communities, and in particular the nature of conservation and development initiatives
located within or otherwise affecting Amerindian lands. However, I feel I must qualify
this by making it clear that this does not imply any neo-colonial sentiment on my
part. While, as will presumably be clear to anyone who has read this thesis, I have
strong sympathies with the cause of indigenous self-determination, I do not suggest
that this should be at the expense of the legitimate interests of any other groups of
people. Nor need this be the case: I believe it to be in the interests of all Guyanese
that use of the country’s ecosystems remains within the limits of ecological
sustainability, that the country’s rich heritage of both cultural and biological diversity
be retained, and that the culturally idiosyncratic contribution that Amerindian peoples
can make to both of these goals be expressed to its fullest possible extent. Insofar as
this thesis documents the potential scope of this contribution, its findings should
have clear implications for conservation planning in Guyana, which also apply to
greater or lesser extents to many other locations.
The major implication is one which is unlikely to surprise anyone resident in or
otherwise familiar with the situation in Guyana’s interior. No national or regional
initiatives for the large-scale conservation of natural ecosystems can function without
the full participation of the Amerindian population. Full participation goes beyond the
often token meaning attached to this term in international conservation circles.
Rather it means a complete and nonsubordinate involvement in all stages of planning,
design, research and management. Key to such involvement would be a free,
equitable and dialectical intellectual exchange between indigenous and non-indigenous
experts on ecology.
The potential intellectual and practical contributions of Amerindian populations to
such a dialogue has been highlighted by the results of this thesis. Ethnoecology, both
in theory and practice, provides an important possible forum for this exchange; as it
matures as a methodology its potential in this respect will grow accordingly. The skills
and knowledge which form the basis of traditional resource management systems