On a trip to collect information on the giant river otter, an endangered species, a group of researchers ended up in Rewa Head. “In just six weeks the expedition recorded an astounding variety of life: 158 species of birds, 22 species of medium to large mammals, and half of Guyana’s known endangered species.”

They also found that “this pristine wilderness—still free from the impacts of the modern world—may not remain so for long. Both a massive logging concession and an even larger oil drilling concession overlap the wilderness.”

Read more about this topic at: http://news.mongabay.com/2009/1129-hance_pickles.html
and more about U.S. timber firm Simon & Shock International’s involvement with Guyana here: http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0221-guyana.html

Rupununi - Photo by Kati Ringer

I came across a great website one day for the Rupununi Learners. The organization is made up of two non-profit organizations – the Rupununi Learners Incorporated (RLI) and Rupununi Learners Foundation (RLF). RLI is a registered non-profit in Guyana, founded in 2007 and RLF is a registered non-profit in the USA that started in 2001. Together, these organizations come together to collaborate on environmental conservation, wildlife research, education, economic development and cultural preservation efforts in the southern region of Guyana.

Check out their great website, http://www.rupununilearners.org, to learn more about these two organizations and the wonderful programs they offer!

As the Guyanese mining industry adopts stricter environmental standards, miners worry about the higher associated costs.  Along with the stricter standards, the new rules will be “tightly enforced.”

 Prime Minister Samuel Hinds stated, “restoration must be recognized as a cost of production.”  The need to lessen the environment impact of mining without hindering mining’s economic contribution is vital.

 (via stabroeknews.com)

Suriname is on the list.

(via time.com)

#4 

Among the hundreds of new life forms and animal species discovered this year, scientists have been able to identify 24 new species in a remote part of Suriname’s rainforest.  Among these species include 12 dung beetles, an ant species, six species of fish and five new frogs, including one with fluorescent purple markings.

Remarkable!

Guyana has offered to “place its entire standing forest under the control of a British-led, international body in return for a bilateral deal with the UK that would secure development aid and the technical assistance needed to make the change to a green economy.”

The deal would amount to the largest carbon offset ever offered and would greatly benefit both the UK and Guyana.  The Iwokrama reserve alone holds almost 120 million tons of carbon, which is the equivalent to the annual carbon emissions of the United Kingdom. 

Currently, plans are in the works to build a paved road right through the forest, destroying thousands of acres of pristine rainforest and opening up opportunities for illegal mining and logging.  “Maybe we should just cut down the trees. Then someone would recognise the problem,” said Guyana’s President Jagdeo.

President Jagdeo adds, “This would send a signal that we are prepared to go beyond Kyoto. It could be a symbol of what can be done.”