Rupununi

Rupununi Rediscovering a Lost World

Rupununi Rediscovering a Lost World

Text Graham Watkins Photography Pete Oxford and ReneĂŠ Bish Foreword HRH The Prince of Wales Introductory texts Russell A. Mittermeier and Yolanda Kakabadse

Contents

Foreword by HRH The Prince of Wales

To my mother, Tonina, in remembrance of Colyn’s love of Guyana’s wilderness.

Introductory texts

Graham Watkins

Russell A. Mittermeier, President of Conservation International Yolanda Kakabadse, President of WWF International Rupununi, A Personal View by Pete Oxford

Together, the authors dedicate this book to all Guyanese, especially those who live in the Rupununi.

They will determine the fate of this extraordinary place that nature has built over millions of years

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ix xiii xv

1

Setting the Scene

1

2

The Lost World

19

3

Myriad Species

35

4

Land of Giants

137

5

Rupununi Makushi

165

6

El Dorado Explored

191

7

Booms and Busts

199

8

Sustaining a Way of Life: Komantu Iseru

221

Acknowledgements

238

Recommended literature and bibliography

240

Organisational contacts

242

Author biographies

244

The Essequibo’s black waters running over sand bars during the dry season, Iwokrama Forest stretching out from the river’s far bank.

A black piranha, Serrasalmus rhombeus.

Guyana is a truly exceptional country. Situated in northern South America

mega-economy to the Atlantic, reducing the transportation distances for

between Venezuela and Suriname, and bordered to the south by Brazil, it

Brazilian products by as much as five hundred kilometres. What is more,

covers 214,969 square kilometres (almost the size of Great Britain, and one

Brazilian entrepreneurs have shown an interest in developing large-scale

and a half times the size of New York State), yet has a human population

agro-industry in the Rupununi, which threatens to change the fragile

of just over three quarters of a million. It is particularly rich in biodiversity,

ecosystem there forever.

and has the second highest per cent coverage of rain forest on Earth, with

To its credit, the Brazilian government has taken major steps to protect

tropical rain forests covering 75 per cent of the country and remaining 85

its own natural habitats, with more than 50 per cent of the Brazilian Amazon

per cent intact. It also has some of the most spectacular scenery anywhere in

now protected in federal and state reserves and indigenous territories and

South America, with Kaieteur Falls being perhaps the most beautiful single

with major efforts to reduce deforestation. However, Guyana does not yet

waterfall on Earth, with the spectacular tepui landscape of the Pakaraima

have the means or the legal framework in place to do this at a Brazilian

Mountains, and with some of the most extensive and least disturbed

scale. Indeed, the lack of a fully-blown protected area network in Guyana,

mangrove and mudflat systems on the continent. However, although the

to assist in balancing the social and ecological threats, makes it difficult to

rain forests of Guyana have gotten a lot of attention of late, few realize that

set aside parks and reserves in the most vulnerable and biologically richest

Guyana also has one of the most important and most intact savanna systems

portions of the Rupununi. At this time, apart from the Iwokrama Forest in

in South America and indeed in the world. Located in the Rupununi, these

the north and the indigenous Wai-Wai Community-Owned Conservation

savannas are truly incomparable in many ways, although they are little

Area in the south, no other part of the Rupununi enjoys formal conservation

known. This is the main reason that we are delighted to foster and promote

actions. This leaves the Rupununi, and perhaps the entire country, extremely

the creation of this book dedicated to northern Rupununi that includes

vulnerable.

these wonderful grasslands. Lying at the interface between the Amazon to

Fortunately, Guyana has taken on a major international leadership

the south and the Guyanese rivers that flow north into the Atlantic, this is

role on environmental issues over the past five years. Under the visionary

perhaps the world’s last intact grassland that also supports large areas of

President Bharrat Jagdeo, Guyana has led the charge to show how important

forest within its borders, making it one of the biologically richer areas of the

High Forest Cover Low Deforestation (HFLD) rate countries are in the

continent. What is more, the Rupununi Region is home to several groups

global climate change scenario, with this charismatic president becoming

of indigenous people, notably the Makushi, Wapishana and Wai-Wai – with

perhaps the most visible spokesman on this vital issue. Simultaneously,

lifestyles intimately connected to their savanna and forest homes.

Guyana, again under President Jagdeo’s leadership, has been among the first

Sadly, although this region has remained largely intact up until now,

to develop and publicize a Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). This

it, like so many other parts of the tropical world, is now at risk. A new

strategy seeks to build a new economic model that focuses on investments in

road linking the Rupununi and the rapidly-growing state of Roraima in

carbon mitigation and adaptation activities replacing traditional economic

Brazil will soon be upgraded and run all the way to Georgetown on the

activities that lead to forest loss and increased carbon emissions. In return

Guyana coast. What is more, a bridge also spans the Takutu River on the

for such investments, the country would maintain its forests to provide the

Brazil/Guyana border, linking tiny Lethem on the Guyana side with the

global community with a major climate service – a premium value given the

much larger and ever-expanding city of Bonfim on the Brazilian side. The

level of intactness of the country’s ecosystems. This model was seen to be so

bridge and the soon-to-be-completed road will link Roraima and Brazil’s

attractive that the Government of Norway committed US$250 million over ix

five years to help Guyana implement it, and it is hoped that other developed

proposed for Guyana’s rain forests are taken into consideration before other

countries will contribute as well, both in the building stage and, eventually,

economic activities roll forward, especially ones that have had negative

in the purchase of credits through a carbon market.

environmental impacts elsewhere. Happily, the Rupununi is still largely

The LCDS is just one more example of the vision and leadership of

intact, leaving almost all conservation and development opportunities still

the Government and People of Guyana. Some fourteen years ago in 1996,

open, and enabling Guyana to demonstrate once again, its global leadership

President Cheddi Jagan legally established the Iwokrama International

in creating something new and truly exciting model.

Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development setting aside

By publishing Rupununi Rediscovering a Lost World, all of us involved

371,000 hectares of rain forest as the Iwokrama Forest and bringing to

hope to show how special and wonderful a place the Rupununi really is, and

fruition an idea first elaborated in 1989 by President Desmond Hoyte.

to engage all Guyanese and the rest of the world in ensuring that its natural

Half of this area was set aside as a wilderness preserve and the other half

wonders are maintained in perpetuity and that its development is carried

for the development of economies based on rain forest products. The

out in the most sustainable, enlightened, and productive manner possible.

Iwokrama Centre continues to the present day and stands as a monument

We hope that you enjoy this book and that you share our fascination with

to Guyana’s vision and its willing participation in maintaining a healthy

everything that makes the Rupununi so unique.

global environment.

Up until now, however, most of the attention has focused on Guyana’s huge rain forest estate. The Rupununi savannas have long been little more than an afterthought as the world focused on the importance of Guyana’s rain forest. However, all the information now emerging indicates that the savanna, in many ways, is at least as important as the rain forest, and that it should receive similar attention. Its biodiversity values are high, its indigenous people are extraordinary, and it may even have carbon values

Russell A. Mittermeier President, Conservation International Vice-President, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

similar to the rain forest. Indeed, emerging data on below-ground carbon in grassland and savanna ecosystems indicates that they may compare favourably to the above-ground carbon biomass of the tropical rain forest.

In addition, as this book points out, the Rupununi still remains to be fully explored scientifically. While we know a fair amount about the northern part of this region, very little is known about the region south of the Kanuku Mountains. Our organization, Conservation International, has long considered the Rupununi a priority and has carried out a number of scientific expeditions there, while simultaneously working with the government to create a major protected area in the Kanuku Mountains and developing a wide range of sustainable economic activities with indigenous communities. We are convinced that such exploration not only lays the groundwork for the most appropriate kinds of development, it is itself an important contributor to both the regional and the national economy.

It is for all these reasons that we consider this book to be very timely.

We very much believe that a balance can be struck between conservation and development in the Rupununi, and that it should be possible to design and practice integrated management of natural resources that brings wealth to local communities and to the country as a whole without destroying or degrading the resource – as sadly has happened in so many other parts of the world. However, to achieve a lasting and truly sustainable development model, one must first recognize the global importance of the Rupununi.

Communal plant hoppers (Homoptera) feed by sucking sap from plants.

Then one must ensure that appropriate protected areas and indigenous lands are established, and that new development options like the carbon model xi

The northern Rupununi has intrigued explorers, travellers, historians, and

This is the second publication by Graham Watkins and his colleagues, and

scientists for centuries, dating back to Sir Walter Ralegh’s search for the

complements their vibrant and intellectually stimulating book Galapagos:

mythical El Dorado. But for the past three decades this extraordinary region,

Both Sides of the Coin.

with its breathtaking landscape and astonishing wildlife, has been out of the public eye.

Rupununi Rediscovering a Lost World inspires WWF and other conservation agencies to continue their work to protect the global

Recently, however, with the construction of the Takutu River Bridge,

environment. It also reminds us that we need to be ever vigilant if we are

linking the Rupununi with Roraima in hinterland Brazil, there has been

to overcome the threats that confront humanity so that we can bequeath to

renewed interest in the region for its development potential and for the

our children a lasting legacy.

challenges that lie ahead in protecting its rich biological diversity and freshwater ecosystems.

Graham Watkins, Pete Oxford, and Reneé Bish are to be congratulated for their groundbreaking effort to bring the beauty of this ecologically rich and once-forgotten tropical paradise to the eyes of the world. Rupununi Rediscovering a Lost World captures the splendour of the northern Rupununi, and should be compulsory reading for all – young and old – who care

Yolanda Kakabadse President, WWF International

about the world in which we live. The book’s expressive photographs depict the landscapes, wildlife, and aspects of life in this very special place. The text provides a range of useful information about the region, its history, geomorphology, hydrology, and demography, and evokes some of the mysteries and mystique of this “wild frontier.”

A fisherman holds up the skin of an adult arapaima.

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Rupununi, A Personal View

I first came to the northern Rupununi with my wife, Reneé Bish, for six

Most are for dry season use only. The wet season changes everything: houses

weeks during 2005. We travel extensively throughout the world for our

are stranded on islands, roads turn to bogs of sucking mud, and the general

work and so, as with any other new destination, we worked hard, explored,

economy inflates as transport costs soar. Where we might talk about the

photographed, and then left, but we had loved it and were not ready to leave.

weather, a Rupununian will talk about water levels: “river low” – good fishing

Several years later when Graham, a friend of more than twenty years, invited

and certain roads open; “river more low” (going down) – fish coming back

us to collaborate on this, our second joint book project, we did not hesitate.

in, access improving; “river high” – more kabouras (sand flies), boats are

We were told, when in Guyana, that if we drank water from the creeks or ate

required for transport (which in turn opens new areas), and hunting is better

labba (paca), we would be back!

as animals retreat to the islands; “river more high” (coming up) – fish are

During my subsequent extended visits in 2009 and 2010, my thoughts on the Rupununi matured. A relationship evolved. The area became intoxicating.

The rivers are home to many dangers, from giant caimans, anacondas,

I was drawn into its unexplainable and inextricable web, its infectious

piranhas, stingrays, and electric eels to the mythical “water anteater.” Yet,

magnetism and allure. The spectacular wildlife, extraordinary biodiversity,

despite the threats, they are socially important, places to lime (hang out),

and incomparable scenery remain the same; jaguars, tapirs, giant river otters,

bathe, swim, play, and wash clothes, cars, motorcycles, and bicycles.

macaws, and black caimans are still readily seen.

A young boy, Natie Thomas, does a backflip into the Essequibo River.

“marching” upriver to spawn, and be careful which road you choose!

People here are very patriotic about their place in the world. It is one thing

What tugged at my emotions on these latter visits were the people. The

to be Guyanese but so much more to be from the Rupununi. There is a sense

area is dominated by Makushi Amerindians, and today I feel privileged to

of belonging. The people live hard, live rough, live tough, and party hard, too.

count many among my friends. They are a people who are quick to welcome

Sir Walter Ralegh may not have found “El Dorado” but El Dorado (the local

you into their culture; they have a sense of contentment, balance, connection,

brand of rum) has found the Rupununi. “Coast landers” and “white-men”

and quality of life. The area may be a vast expanse physically, yet it remains

are said to have soft skin.

small socially – the Rupununi is a network of friends with a high comfort

The variety of English spoken in the Rupununi is a local Creole. It is a

level among them and always with a space to tie a hammock – a respectful

unique treat within South America to be able to communicate with everyone

form of address used for elders, even those unrelated by blood being “Auntie”

in my native tongue, even though it took a while to fine-tune my ear. You

or “Uncle.”

do not shave out here; you shine your face. You do not take something with

The pace and approach to life in the Rupununi is foreign to the “developed”

you; you walk with it. Enough means more than enough. An angry man is

Western world. It is very relaxed. There is a sense of patience and tolerance,

vexed. A person, or guy, is a bannah. Just now means anything from right

the reality being that, no matter how hard you plan, there will always be

now to a long time hence. You do not leave, you beat out. It is a place where

something to deal with – you may have to wait for a day with your vehicle

fish stew is known as boiley boiley, where a blonde tourist is a girl with shiny

at the river for the water to go down to be able to cross, for example – “You

hair. Instead of “his” and “him” or “her” and “hers,” he and she are used. In

can’t fight life,” they tell me. However, if such a wait is called for, there will

Rupununi to go shopping is to pick up rations, and a machete is still referred

very soon be hammocks slung, freshly caught fish roasting on an open fire,

to as a cutlass, evoking days of old.

and everyone involved in a good gaff (conversation).

Monarch bicycles from Brazil were once the most common means of

Water levels dominate the way of life, especially in the savanna, a land

transport; today, as technology bludgeons the tranquillity of yesteryear,

of expansive vistas, with a freedom to roam. “Roads” criss-cross the plains.

they are left in the dust of off-road motorbikes. Land Rovers and Bedford xv

trucks were the veritable pioneers that opened up the savanna, when

The Makushi are a savanna people, living close to primary rainforest,

windscreens were a luxury. Today Land Rover skeletons pepper the

ite palm swamps, oxbow lakes, and meandering rivers. Industry is absent,

landscape, disintegrating back to nature, as brand-new Toyotas whistle

the air is clean, and the skies are big. Cattle, locally important, still dot the

past. With myriad roads and tracks, non-native travellers are quick to get

grasslands in a land where the cowboys are Indians. The lifestyle is pure,

lost. With the lack of signage to mark the way, distances are measured in

expansive and energised, raw and full.

hours and directions given by referencing trees, mountains, ponds, or past

“Progress,” from outside influence, is threatening to inundate the

events. Even by boat, a place is defined by the number of bends in the river

Rupununi like a colossal tsunami; rice, soy, commercial fishing, gold mining,

it takes to get there. There are no telegraph wires and poles; there are no

and oil all menace the equilibrium held so dear by so many. The Rupununi

roundabouts, traffic lights, or road signs (except for a sprawling vanguard

of today and yesterday may not be perfect – but it does come close! We hope

of a few bilingual signs as one enters Rupununi’s capital, the border town

that this book will help illuminate the treasures found here, and we also hope

of Lethem). With new, improved access in and out of Brazil, this affront to

that, unlike the riches of El Dorado, they will not be covered by a great flood.

a harmonious lifestyle is surely a sign of things to come. Today the Bedford trucks survive, negotiating the main axis road through the Iwokrama Forest that bursts out into the savanna, joining the dots between Georgetown and Lethem. Plying their trade between the coast and the “interior,” the trucks access places that the huge majority of Guyanese has neither ventured nor dared to venture into for fear of the unknown. No form of transport, however, no matter how big or small, can ever be too overloaded. Motorbikes carry whole families with baggage up front. Trucks swell with goods while bicycles

Pete Oxford Rupununi, Guyana 2010

buckle under extraordinary weight. Even the ubiquitous oxcarts that make frequent journeys from farm to market strain the yokes of the bullocks that pull them. Nevertheless, a true outback spirit pervades, no matter what you are driving: A Rupununian never passes by anyone broken down on the road without offering to help.

The Makushi are a well-organised group and well informed; one might just as easily gaff with many individuals on the latest Wilbur Smith novel or world affairs as hear tales of ancient folklore. They love gatherings, where the best storyteller is king for the night. Dialogue is lubricated by kari – a fermented cassava beer – drunk freely; it helps loosen wicked jokes, which are shared long after nightfall. The sense of belonging is strong, and a village council that, in turn, is led by a toshao, or headman, directs the communities; as powerful as he is, however, important decisions are taken at the community level.

Cassava, or manioc, is the main staple and is prepared in many forms, the most popular being farine, coarse flour that accompanies nearly all fish and meat dishes. It is a lot of work to prepare cassava, and households are upgrading, with appropriate technology: mechanical cassava graters harnessed, Heath Robinson, to discarded bicycles that provide the spin.

People are at peace in the Rupununi. Houses are small but their inhabitants have a natural escape every day and still rely heavily on their environment as a resource. They do not seem to suffer the disease of avarice, which permeates the “developed” world, the vice being apparently tempered by the strongly held traditional values of their elders. There is a kind of gift economy in place

A nocturnal forager, the boat-billed heron (Cochlearius cochlearius) snaps up prey with its enlarged bill.

whereby a visitor will always be fed and watered for no charge.

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