1 Mar 2019

Travelling South: my first field trip

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Betsy Alvin, an intern on the Darwin Initiative Traditional Knowledge in Conservation in Guyana project, reflects on her visit community visit. Well! This was my first experience on a field trip going anywhere to do project work. Mr Bernie couldn’t go because his mom was ill and Ms. Rebecca couldn’t go by herself so they called me and said to pack because you are heading south. Going along with us would be Mr Neville Adolph, the new project community liaison … Read More
24 Dec 2018

Parikwarunawa – Land of the heavy breeze!

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Continuing our trip, we moved from Maruranau to Parikwarunawa. Just after concluding the video screening, the team began packing to make an early departure the next day. Sigh! But it was not time for home and more so Christmas yet! But it was on my mind as we packed. We left on the 11th December for the next village clear back across the savanna to the south central district of the Rupununi. Close to Lethem that you could almost touch … Read More
10 Sep 2018

Engaging Communities to ensure Free Prior Informed Consent (FPIC)

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On-going community outreach in the Rupununi Community engagement continues, as the Darwin Initiative project focused on the Traditional Knowledge and its role in Biodiversity Conservation, seeks to ensure a Free, Prior and Informed Consent process. Project team member Grace Albert shares her experience after completing Kanuku Mountains community visits. Recently, a team from the Darwin project visited the communities in Central Rupununi, Region 9, thus completing our round of visits to all communities associated with the Kanuku Mountains Protected Area. … Read More
5 Jun 2018

Looking Ahead: engaging the policy makers

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Community engagement has been going well and the team is working toward fine-tuning the first set of Community Videos that will be screened to decision-makers. As that time approaches, the team benefited from some more training. The communities of the North Rupununi have captured their opinions through participatory video on issues related to traditional knowledge and protected areas. As the final videos are being compiled, we have begun to think about the process of engaging the policy makers. To do … Read More
1 Jun 2018

Documenting community owned solutions in the North Rupununi

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In April and May, the NRDDB Darwin Team visited the North Rupununi villages associated with the Iwokrama Forest to begin documenting their community owned solutions for managing the protected area. Bernie Robertson, NRDDB Community Researcher reports on their activities. During the trip, the team provided additional training to the community researchers in using transcripts to sort their videos. They also assessed progress made in making the three videos on traditional knowledge and protected areas. Following this, they began working alongside … Read More
2 Feb 2018

Traditional Knowledge in Guyana: Let’s talk about Wetlands!

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Celebrating World Wetlands Day 2018 As we join the world in observing World Wetlands Day, let us reflect on the important role they play in supporting and maintaining healthy ecosystems that contribute to human health and well-being. We need to also recognizing the significant linkages of these unique ecosystems to the life of Indigenous peoples and their role in helping to protecting them through traditional and cultural activities. Traditional Knowledge in Guyana: Let’s talk about Wetlands! Guyana, as ‘Land of … Read More
26 Oct 2017

Free, Prior and Informed Consent Process begins in the North Rupununi for COBRA 2.0

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The team from the North Rupununi District Development Board began visiting the communities of the North Rupununi District to introduce a new project that is of much interest to the communities. Dubbed COBRA 2.0, the project entitled “Integrating traditional knowledge into national policy and practice in Guyana,” began implementation on 1st July 2017. The project aims to address the goal of Aichi Biodiversity Target 18 which looks at developing a national action plan and process that would allow for the … Read More
2 Oct 2017

Being Amerindian Today

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Livelihoods, Technology, and Dynamic Indigenous Knowledges New publication in the Yearbook of the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers. http://projectcobra.org/wp-content/uploads/Being-Amerindian-Today_Elisa-Bignante-2017.pdf This photo essay explores the diffusion of technologies and new commodities within the Indigenous communities living in the Amazon forest of Guyana, South America: the Makushi people who inhabit the northern area of the Rupununi river region, and the Wapishana people who live in the southern area. It is published in the 2017 Yearbook of the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers, … Read More

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