Wai Wais to set up conservation area
Guyana Chronicle
December 5, 2004
THE Wai Wais of Southern Guyana (Konashen), the Government of Guyana and Conservation International Guyana (CIG) have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) for assistance in establishing a community-owned conservation area.
The agreement follows a request by the Wai Wai community there to the government for CIG to help them develop a plan for their lands in the Konashen District (about 600,000 hectares) to be managed as a community-owned conservation area.
CIG said in a press release yesterday that it has been pleased to accede to the request to assist in the process towards establishing the conservation area.
The MOC was signed after extensive consultations with the members of the community and after all the talks were completed, it said.
“The community has since welcomed the process and is now better informed about the community-owned conservation process,” CIG said.
Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Ms. Carolyn Rodrigues, who initially received the request from the Wai Wais, said this is indeed a step in the right direction and signifies the commitment of the Wai Wais to sustainable utilisation, the organisation said.
“The Wai Wais have a particular relationship with the land and have long practiced sustainability. However, they have recognised that marrying traditional knowledge and modern technology can only be an incentive for the proper management of the area,” CIG said.
It said the minister hopes that other communities would also recognise the need to manage their natural resources since there have been several instances of mismanagement, especially in logging activities.
The government issued title to more than one million acres of Wai Wai lands in February 2004.
CIG said the request from the Wai Wais to have the area declared a community-owned conservation area came immediately thereafter.
“I am particularly pleased that Conservation International has agreed to collaborate with the Wai Wais,” Rodrigues said.
Under the MOC, which will provide a framework for the implementation of the process, the Wai Wais have requested CIG’s assistance to jointly develop land and resource, use practices that satisfy Wai Wai needs, while also conserving ecosystems and biodiversity.
CIG said the process will involve:
* Working together to jointly evaluate the ongoing resource use and the needs of the Wai Wais and the impact of traditional land uses on biodiversity and ecosystems.
* Working together to increase local, national and global awareness about the importance of biodiversity and ecosystems in the Konashen District.
* Working to jointly develop sustainable land and resource use practices that satisfy the needs of the Wai Wais while also conserving ecosystems and biodiversity.
* Working together to identify and address threats to the integrity of the Konashen District.
* Working together to identify and develop income generating projects and potential sources of funding for the projects.
The MOC was signed by Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr. Roger Luncheon and Rodrigues for the Government of Guyana, Major General (retd.) Joseph Singh for Conservation International (Guyana), and Captain Paul Chekema and a representative of the Village Council for the Wai Wai community.