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

An outreach workshop held in Lethem by Iwokrama in early 1999 and attended
by representatives of all Rupununi communities, surveyed local opinions as to
conservation problems and their possible solutions. In the South Rupununi, problems
identified included overhunting of peccaries, iguanas, armadillos and anteaters,
reduction of fish populations by poisoning and trapping, burning of savannahs, raiding
of crops and livestock by wild animals, felling of fruit trees, and the reduction of fish
stocks in Kwitaro River following mining activities there. Solutions suggested were
education and awareness raising among both children and adults, development and
enforcement of regulations regarding use of wildlife, rearing of livestock and fish to
reduce pressure on wild animals, replanting of fruit trees and various forms of income-
generating initiatives (Iwokrama 1999). The issues of fish poisoning and felling of
fruit trees arose frequently in my discussions with people throughout the South
Rupununi. In Maruranau, the village council is sufficiently concerned about the
negative impacts of these activities that it is attempting to introduce rules to restrict
them.
3.3.3 Conclusion and Summary
A case study of development in Region 9 conducted during the early 1990's was
highly critical, and drew attention to an absence of Amerindian involvement in
planning and decision-making, typical of approaches to development worldwide at the
time (Tang 1995: 29, 42-44). It appears that this situation is improving, the need for
Amerindian participation having been recognised by all major actors — central and
local government, industry, development organisations and conservationists — as well
as being strongly asserted by the Amerindian populations themselves. The different
interest groups involved all have very different agendas, and their reconciliation over
the years to come will strongly affect the nature of life in the Rupununi and the
welfare of its indigenous population.