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

enefits could also be expected to accrue in regional and coastal settlements
involved in transportation and marketing. This idea is nothing new: in the 1940’s, it
was advocated that the colonial government seek to develop markets for a variety of
forest products that could be collected by Amerindians. In conjunction with greater,
more equitable involvement in existing interior industries (logging, ranching and
balata), in each of which Amerindian skills were already crucial, it was envisaged that
this could provide a path towards the economic integration of Amerindian people on
their own terms (Peberdy 1948: 8, 30).
The modern state of Guyana has the human capacity to respond to economic
possibilities by creating functioning organic linkages between producers in the interior
and retailers or exporters in Georgetown and other major coastal towns. This is
clearly evinced by, for example, the current nature of the wildlife trade, or the
availability of fruits of forest trees on market stalls in Georgetown. In some cases
what is missing is information about and access to possible export markets, as is the
case with Brazil nuts. In others the deficiencies may be of a different nature, such as
a lack of access to start-up capital, limited knowledge of economic potential, absence
of reliable and honest intermediaries or, as in the case of medicinal plants, fear of
inequitable relations. Many could possibly be overcome by a programme which would
systematically identify the reasons why particular marketable products are not being
exploited, devise and implement mechanisms to overcome these barriers, and work
with local authorities at community levels to ensure the social and ecological
sustainability of any extractive enterprises.
Local knowledge is central to all aspects of the exploitation of non-timber forest
products. Many are ultimately based upon indigenous usage, and the location and
appropriation of products in the forest may depend heavily on both intellectual and
practical expertise relating to the forest environment. This thesis contributes to some
extent to answering the question of whether such skills could contribute to the
expansion of extractive industries in Guyana. Data is presented relevant to indigenous
contributions to both the production and monitoring aspects of this. The key measure
of the success of such a development would be sustainability, in both social and
economic terms. Its potential benefits are seen to be that, in contrast to logging and
mining, it could enhance the economic value of forests without contributing to
environmental, social or cultural degradation. In connection with other approaches, it
could form a key component of a national strategy for biodiversity conservation.
These other approaches also have strong implications for Amerindian people, and it is
this which is the subject of the next section.