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

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ABSTRACT Anthropological work in human ecology and ethnobiology supports the greater involvement of indigenous and other non-western peoples in development and conservation. However, there is still a shortage of data that can form the basis of practical action in these respects. A case study of Guyana confirms this, showing that debate over indigenous involvement in national development is largely rhetorical. Field research on Wapishana ethnoecology and cultural ecology was undertaken in Guyana over twenty-two months in 1997-1998 and 1999-2000. Wapishana people in Guyana collectively occupy a variety of habitat types within the forest-savannah ecotone, mostly maintaining subsistence based lifestyles which entail high levels of dependence on local biodiversity and ecological processes. There is evidence for regulation of human exploitation of the natural environment via symbolically encoded restrictions on behaviour. Wapishana hunters collectively demonstrated a broad and detailed knowledge of the ecology of several animal species and other aspects of the local ecology. Comparison of ethnoecological data with the ecological literature showed them to be largely compatible and correspond closely in detail. Limitations of the ethnoecological data set included incomplete lists of food species for particular animals, and a shortage of useful information in subject areas such as population dynamics and social behaviour. Ethnoecology thus can complement, but not replace, conventional scientific approaches to the study of ecology. Ethnoecology has current applications in subsistence, can generate hypotheses concerning human effects on local ecology relevant to management planning and amenable to testing by scientific methods, and also incorporates practical skills that can be applied to the collection of biological data. Wapishana thus have an interest in, and possess a body of skills and knowledge that may be applied to, biological conservation. Ethnoecology provides a methodology whereby equitable and mutually beneficial relationships may be formed between indigenous groups and the scientific community.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis could not have been completed without the co-operation, help and support of a great many people, to each one of whom I owe a great debt of gratitude. I am not able to name individually everyone who has fed, sheltered, advised or otherwise assisted me over the past few years, and I hope that any ommissions from the following list will be forgiven. Thanks go in the first instance to the people of Maruranau, who agreed to host and participate in the study and who, between them, have provided the majority of the field information upon which this dissertation is based. In particular, I would like to mention Lawrence David, Laura David, Moses David, Felix Perry, Theo Isaacs, Martin Pablo, Amy Pablo, Claudette Pablo, Cateri Pablo, Leo Gomes, Celine Gomes, Laura Gomes, Gina Gomes, Hilda O'Connell, Roy O'Connell, Vybert George, Juliet George, Rex Perry, Muriel Perry, Stanley O'Connell, Nita O'Connell, Lloyd Ritchie, Petronella O'Connell, Gerald O'Connell, Olaf Claude, Josephine Claude, Alma Shook, Mike Shook, Ursula Gomes, Patrick Gomes, Andrea Gomes, Robert McCracken, Daniel Aguilar, Mureen Aguilar, Bernard Bernard, Ivor Paulin, Trevor George, Noel David, Yvonne David, Michael Thomas, Clement Thomas, Ignace Thomas, Cleonis Edward, Bennet James, Zelita James, Claudia Joseph, Peter Lanis, Joe Marco, Mary Marco, Tyrone Marco, Christian Louis, Nigel Marco, Valentine Pablo, Thomas O'Connell, Lucita O'Connell, Godfrey Sandy, Odo Simon, Edna Simon, Alexis Mandokin, Oscar David, Roderick Perry, Dennis Marcello, Imelda Marcello, Hercules Pablo, Lionel Simon, Elenore Simon, Lionel Steven, Leo Smithette, Victor Edward, Lyndon Claude, Hilary Thomas and Sylvan Edward. Many people elsewhere in the Rupununi provided invaluable assistance, especially Justin de Freitas, Cheryl, Duane de Freitas, Sandy de Freitas, Leroy Ignacio, Andy, Pip, Richard Wilson, Brown Fredericks and family, Louise Ramadan, Dorothy Farrier, Eugene Andrew, Fred Atkinson, Shirley Melville, Peter McClachlan, Jem McChlaclan, Vincent Henry, Sana Ranatunga and Valentine Wilson. Thanks goes to the Government of Guyana for providing permission to remain in the country and conduct research. Staff in many government departments gave me valuable assistance, including Denise Fraser and Vimla Roopchand of the Environmental Protection Agency, and Vybert de Souza, Lloyd Andrew and George Simon at the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs. Many University of Guyana staff also went out of their way to help me, including Desrey Fox, Janette Forte, Lorraine Pierre, Patrick Williams, and John Caesar. Invaluable personal assistance was extended by
Page 1: Ethnoecology, Resource Use, Conserv
Page 5 and 6: CONTENTS ABSTRACT..................
Page 7 and 8: LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 2.1. MAP OF
Page 9 and 10: CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Intro
Page 11 and 12: subsistence strategies to exemplify
Page 13 and 14: context is provided by Wapishana cu
Page 15 and 16: a 'need' for meat even if their phy
Page 17 and 18: phenomenon and thus arguing that in
Page 19 and 20: populations of beaver and caribou (
Page 21 and 22: practice (Sillitoe 1998: 228-9). Th
Page 23 and 24: 1.2.4 Does the nature of ethnoecolo
Page 25 and 26: presented on cultural ecology. This
Page 27 and 28: Riviere identifies cognatic descent
Page 29 and 30: the village and out in the forest.
Page 31 and 32: CHAPTER 2: INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND D
Page 33 and 34: groups also comprise the majority i
Page 35 and 36: provides national-level representat
Page 37 and 38: around 4,000 km 2 and excluding man
Page 39 and 40: industries have been identified as
Page 41 and 42: events was the subject of much conc
Page 43 and 44: Changes in the global economy seem
Page 45 and 46: significant improvements in the sit
Page 47 and 48: industry rapidly disappeared. A pro
Page 49 and 50: Wapishana communities in which he w
Page 51 and 52: correspond to a remarkably high pro
Page 53 and 54:
Thorbjarnarson 1991; Ojasti 1991; T
Page 55 and 56:
2.6 Conservation interest in Guyana
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outreach in 1995, links between Iwo
Page 59 and 60:
2.6.3 Other Activities Relating to
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enefit of the entire national popul
Page 63 and 64:
forests of the Rupununi River itsel
Page 65 and 66:
anchers narrowly failed in their al
Page 67 and 68:
eleased, but it may well be that Co
Page 69 and 70:
Information collected over the cour
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from the early 19th century unambig
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south as Kujuwini (Riviere 1963: 13
Page 75 and 76:
Dadanawa in 1977, has a Wapishana m
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Wapishana resident in indigenous se
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through this body that the member v
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162). Extensive changes in the over
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Brethren faith, and has constructed
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Many labour emigrants spend several
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freedom and independence of local p
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CHAPTER 4: WAPISHANA CULTURAL ECOLO
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Table 4.1. Percentage of households
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Figure 4.1. Map of Maruranau’s fa
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edge, or in patch of savannah withi
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that of previous studies of Wapisha
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other cassava drinks and those made
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and is effectively a volunteer spec
Page 103 and 104:
When growing in large stands, mango
Page 105 and 106:
Bananas Musa spp. 8 Thyme Lippia mi
Page 107 and 108:
crop. According to the reports of p
Page 109 and 110:
alone. A variety of binas 4 may be
Page 111 and 112:
manicole (Euterpe spp.), or a combi
Page 113 and 114:
areas on higher ground. Parrots and
Page 115 and 116:
egarded as edible were omitted, alo
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Table 4.7 Animal categories reporte
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when the mother has been hunted, an
Page 121 and 122:
and most of these in very small num
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that the take had diminished rapidl
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Oenocarpus 5 were treated as a sing
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egularly visited areas, but as thes
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of the European pig (Schomburgk 192
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individual resident in Aishalton be
Page 133 and 134:
Useful trees were assigned to use c
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Total number of uses 120 100 80 60
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that the proportion of segregates w
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CHAPTER 5: SYMBOLISM 5.1 Syncretism
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clear that many aspects of knowledg
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malevolent purposes associated with
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ivers, especially at rapids or deep
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myself suffered a mysterious and hi
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5.5 Ecological Implications The maj
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of spider monkey meat may, however,
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CHAPTER 6: ETHNOECOLOGY This chapte
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themselves. Such a circumstance aro
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may reflect local phenotypic divers
Page 159 and 160:
format employed allows analysis to
Page 161 and 162:
people use this and for what?", "Ho
Page 163 and 164:
6.2.2 Mechanisms of acquisition of
Page 165 and 166:
my part. In all cases I looked for
Page 167 and 168:
mobility prevented this. Three of t
Page 169 and 170:
Opinion was also divided about the
Page 171 and 172:
6.3.5 Red-rumped agouti, ‘rabbit
Page 173 and 174:
occupied in the dry season are aban
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6.3.8 ‘Baboon’, red howler monk
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dynamics were considered by three i
Page 179 and 180:
there was a seasonal food shortage
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din (an unidentified felid, probabl
Page 183 and 184:
evealed information about this impo
Page 185 and 186:
this could be conducted by examinin
Page 187 and 188:
CHAPTER 7: ETHNOECOLOGY 2 - COMPARI
Page 189 and 190:
caatinga (Olmos 1993), and were als
Page 191 and 192:
Overall, the dietary data in the pr
Page 193 and 194:
Studies from Brazil and Peru report
Page 195 and 196:
Table 7.5. List of food plants reco
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cassava (Manihot esculenta), black-
Page 199 and 200:
7.6 Orange-rumped agouti Table 7.9.
Page 201 and 202:
availability is at its seasonal low
Page 203 and 204:
7.8 Black spider monkey Specific fo
Page 205 and 206:
from the current data set almost ce
Page 207 and 208:
Table 7.16. Comparison of ethnoecol
Page 209 and 210:
families Arecaceae (Palmae), Meliac
Page 211 and 212:
Page 213 and 214:
Other ethnoecological data is compa
Page 215 and 216:
Page 217 and 218:
the Wapishana biological lexicon. T
Page 219 and 220:
as concrete stimuli for responses.
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CHAPTER 8: APPLICATIONS OF ETHNOECO
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herd, anticipate its movements and
Page 225 and 226:
for several consecutive nights unti
Page 227 and 228:
The gathering of eggs of turtles an
Page 229 and 230:
importance of particular foods, esp
Page 231 and 232:
Food plant Score Freq. Fruits eaten
Page 233 and 234:
esearch later collaborated on biolo
Page 235 and 236:
weaknesses correspond to some of th
Page 237 and 238:
Subsistence is also heavily depende
Page 239 and 240:
the most interesting questions. Did
Page 241 and 242:
9.3 Does the existing social-ecolog
Page 243 and 244:
avoidance by people of particular a
Page 245 and 246:
via the exploitation of locally-ava
Page 247 and 248:
provide conceptual tools useful in
Page 249 and 250:
in such a way as to be complementar
Page 251 and 252:
consultation on all matters affecti
Page 253 and 254:
10.2 Research findings and their im
Page 255 and 256:
societies with other parties with w
Page 257 and 258:
10.4 Suggestions for further resear
Page 259 and 260:
REFERENCES Agrawal, A. 1995. ‘Dis
Page 261 and 262:
Barreto, G.R., O.E. Hernandez and J
Page 263 and 264:
Clement, C.R. 1993. 'Native Amazoni
Page 265 and 266:
EPA 1999. 'National Biodiversity Ac
Page 267 and 268:
Government of Guyana 1996. 'Proceed
Page 269 and 270:
Johnson, W.A. 1974. ‘Ethnoecology
Page 271 and 272:
Millner-Gulland, E.J. and R. Mace 1
Page 273 and 274:
Posey, D.A., J. Frechione, J. Eddin
Page 275 and 276:
Salisbury, R.F., M.J. Dummett, T.L.
Page 277 and 278:
Turner, H.E. 1972. ‘The Rupununi
Page 279 and 280:
APPENDICES These appendices list Wa
Page 281 and 282:
Wapishana name Creole name Scientif
Page 283 and 284:
Page 285 and 286:
Page 287 and 288:
Page 289 and 290:
Wapishana Name Creole Name Scientif
Page 291 and 292:
Page 293 and 294:
Page 295 and 296:
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