Sustainable Management of the North Rupununi Wetlands:Linking Biodiversity, Environment and People
The year 2005 was a busy time for the North Rupununi Wetlands Project, and 2006 will be even more exciting. This Project is now entering its final stage, and should come to its successful completion by June 2006. This is therefore an opportune time to look back at our accomplishments over the last two years, and look forward to the Project’s completion and beyond.
We in the Wetlands Project tend to take the term wetlands for granted, but what exactly are wetlands? Simply put, wetlands are areas of land covered by water at any point in the year. Wetlands can therefore be rivers, ponds, lakes, marshes, swamps, or even seasonally flooded areas adjacent to these water bodies.
One of the largest wetlands in Guyana is the North Rupununi Wetlands system, which covers 22,000 hectares of periodically flooded savanna and forest (Figure 1). These wetlands are dominated by the Rupununi, Rewa, and Essequibo Rivers, and include over 750 lakes, ponds and inlets. Over 400 species of fish have been recorded in the area, leading to estimates of up to 600 species for the larger wetland system. This is the highest fish diversity in the world for areas of similar size. The wetlands are also home to the Guyana’s endangered giants, the Arapaima (Arapaima gigas), Giant River Turtle (Podocnemis expansa), Black Caiman (Melanosuchus niger), and Giant Otter (Pteronura brasiliensis).
The North Rupununi Wetlands also play an important role in the lives of approximately 5000 residents in the area’s 16 primary communities. The rivers and waterways act as the main transportation routes and sources of drinking water. Water loving palms and other vegetation are used for housing, craft making, traditional medicine and food. Additionally, fish represents a major source of protein in local communities, while other wildlife species of commercial and subsistence value depend on the wetlands for survival. The North Rupununi wetlands also feature prominently in indigenous culture and folklore, and has significant aesthetic value, serving as a primary place of recreation for local residents.
In the past, North Rupununi Wetlands resources were respected and managed by the communities themselves through their own traditional systems. However, with immigration, acculturation, state control and the movement of communities to a cash economy, many of these traditional systems have broken down. In the absence of management measures many wetlands resources, particularly fish, have begun to show the strain of overuse.
The challenge now is to re-establish community-based management of local wetlands resources, and work with communities to improve resource monitoring, management planning and decision-making. The North Rupununi Wetlands Project has taken up this challenge. The Project aims to build local capacity and develop the North Rupununi Adaptive Management Plan (NRAMP) that will maximize social, ecological and economic benefits, while minimizing potential negative impacts associated with the use of wetlands.