Rupununi, GUY

Participatory 3-Dimensional model of Rupununi, Guyana

Image courtesy of Andrea Berardi, 2005Image courtesy of Andrea Berardi, 2005A 1:10,000-scale model covering part of the Rupununi Region in Guyana was completed in year 2005 in the context of a Darwin Initiative.

The focus was on the use of techniques for Collaborative Natural Resources Management, GIS and Participatory 3-Dimensional Modelling (P3DM), Data Analysis, and an evaluation of the project’s past activities.

The instructors were Dr. Matthew Simpson (Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, UK), Dr. Jayalaxashmi Mistry (Royal Holloway University, London, UK), and Dr. Andrea Berardi (The Open University, UK). Trainees included all members of the project team and three Conservation International Guyana rangers.

Image courtesy of Andrea Berardi, 2005Image courtesy of Andrea Berardi, 2005Techniques gained from the training exercises were tested on three local indigenous communities – Surama, Annai and Toka – in a preliminary assessment of how communities use the resources of the wetland system. Similar assessments are planned for the remaining communities of the North Rupununi by the end of April 2005. During the community visits the process of building 3-dimensional models of the community resource areas was introduced to the community of Surama. These models give community members a bird’s eye view of what their area looks like and how they use it. The model produced was well received and plans are now in progress to prepare similar models for the other communities.

A major outcome of the training is a shift in the decision-making responsibilities within the project, with the Guyanese project staff taking-up greater responsibility for the management of the projects activities. Project staff expressed a renewed sense of purpose and great motivation to continue along the path to the development of an adaptive management system which will ensure the sustainable utilization of the wetland resources of the Rupununi.

Recommended reading:

Sustainable Management of the Rupununi Wetlands: Linking Biodiversity, Environment and People Phase Two Training on Collaborative Resource Management. Complied by: Monitoring and Research Unit Iwokrama International Centre January 2005

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