Stabroek News
May 15, 2001

Following the success of Guyana's first Wildlife Conservation Festival in Annai, Region Nine, last month, efforts are being made to promote new wildlife clubs countrywide to increase conservation management awareness.

With that in mind, the Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development and the North Rupununi wildlife clubs are inviting the children in the rest of the country to join them in celebrating Guyana's wildlife and forests.

At present, Guyana is host to several wildlife clubs through various inititatives. There are some 13 clubs in the North Rupununi area, whilst Georgetown boasts several clubs affiliated to schools through an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiative. There are also a number of senior clubs in existence.

Graham Watkins, of the Wildlife Unit at Iwokrama, explained the benefits and successes of wildlife clubs in Guyana.

"About five of the clubs we deal with are out of this world," he enthused. "The kids love it, they spend a lot of their time doing it."

"Their activities include bird watching, building trails, organising discussions and culture shows," he continued. "One group wrote a letter to the Ministry of Fisheries, Crops and Livestock requesting a protective pond in their area. This request was granted so you can see they are being both active and successful."

"The activities they undertake can also have a beneficial effect on the future of conservation management," he stated. "For example, one club will spend a day each weekend counting Macaws. We can use this information in a series and use it on a management level. It gives the kids a structured activity as well as being productive for us."

"It also gives the kids skills that they might use in later life in eco-toursim, conservation management and so on, instead of forestry and mining," he said.

"The Festival this year was the clubs' idea," he explained. "Several of the clubs had visited a similar festival in Santa Rosa last year but were disappointed with what was on offer."

"We [Iwokrama] assisted them in terms of workshops and finance but the rest was down to them," he said. "Next year the Festival will benefit from funding from the States (U.S.) where the clubs have been attracting special attention."

The future of the clubs and their members look bright, Watkins observed. "It is quite exciting," he remarked. "There is a lot of interest outside of Guyana in the clubs and what they are doing."

Furthermore, he noted, the generations of the future will automatically be better equipped to manage their environment in a sustainable manner than their predecessors.

"In the longer term," Watkins concluded, "in order to achieve effective resource management there needs to be a shift in education."

"These clubs will enable the kids, as leaders, to be in a position to manage their own resources effectively."