Guyana tribe goes hi-tech to protect its land
GUYANA - Eleazer Mawasha speaks haltingly. English is not his first language, and Skype not his preferred method of communication. An elder of Guyana’s Wai-Wai people, Mr. Mawasha is more familiar with the sounds and rhythms of the rainforest with which its indigenous inhabitants have enjoyed a profound spiritual relationship for thousands of years. Using the chat app during a trip to Georgetown is not the only foray into modern technology for members of the South American nation’s smallest tribe. Amerindians have been scrupulous caretakers of the environment for millennia and, as the rest of the world evolves, so too have their practices for monitoring and protecting natural resources.
Wai-Wais in the remote southern district of Kanashen have been trained in the use of cutting-edge software, smartphones and GPS to gather data and assess carbon stocks, thanks to a pioneering two-year project by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Mobile phones are nothing new, even in this isolated area on the fringes of the Amazon Basin, a punishing six-day journey by tractor and boat from the nearest town. But the way they are being used to navigate the forest and record eco data, marks a significant departure from tradition. “Our people used to manage the community just on our own. But since WWF came in and trained our young people, we manage it far better than before,” Mr. Mawasha explains. “We did not have instruments before like GPS; we used to cut lines so we didn’t get lost in the jungle,” he says, referring to the practice of hacking a trail through the trees with a machete. “We are very happy with the training. We tell our young people we have to care for our environment to keep it for the next generations,” he adds. Spanning 2,400 sq. miles (3,850 sq. km), Kanashen is Guyana’s first communityowned conservation area, managed exclusively by the Wai-Wai since 2004.It falls within the Guiana Shield, one of the oldest formations on the Earth’s surface and considered globally important due to its vast swathes of pristine rainforest, fresh water reserves and rich biodiversity.
(kaieteurnews.com)