“Maipaima Eco-Lodge”:
Eco-Tourism Based Conservation
When Foster Parrots began working in Guyana in 2003, it was with the sincere belief that addressing issues surrounding captive parrots at home was inextricably linked to the protection of parrots in the wild and to the preservation of the natural habitat that sustains them. With a private donation of $25,000 specifically earmarked for the project, Foster Parrots funded the construction of Maipaima Eco-Lodge, located in Nappi village territory at the foot of the Kanuku Mountains in Southern Guyana. The lodge, given as a gift to the Amerindian village of Nappi, is designed to offer an economic alternative to hunting and trapping for the pet and zoo trades. Constructed in traditional Amerindian style, the lodge project objective is to serve the needs of the entire village, providing diverse opportunities for Amerindian involvement, encouraging proliferation of arts and culture, and bringing critical educational resources into the Nappi Primary School. It is our hope that the establishment of the this eco-tourism based conservation project will play a significant role in the development of Guyana’s eco-tourism industry and help to protect and preserve the precious natural resources that belong uniquely to Guyana.
The Maipaima Lodge at Nappi is gaining recognition as an essential part of a network of enticing eco-tour destinations throughout central and southern Guyana. Other tourism attractions include Dianne McTurk’s Karanambu Ranch, a center for the rehabilitation of injured and orphaned Giant Otters. The Rewa Village Eco-Lodge, funded by Conservation International, offers an unforgettable wildlife experience. The Iwokrama Center for Rain Forest Conservation offers Guyana’s only canopy walk and a guided deep forest educational tour. Rockview Lodge, run by Englishman Colin Edwards and located in the Northern Rupununi, offers unsurpassed hospitality and guest accommodations.
“Roots & Shoots” in Guyana
Foster Parrots, Ltd. and The Jane Goodall Institute
Roots & Shoots - Guyana
International Peace Day Celebration 2005
Nappi Village Primary School
The Jane Goodall Institute’s “Roots & Shoots” program unites children from around the world in a global effort to protect the earth, its animals and the natural habitats that support all life on the planet. Engaging tens of thousands of youngsters and project leaders from at least 100 different countries, the mission of “Roots & Shoots” is “to foster respect and compassion for all living things, to promote understanding of all cultures and beliefs and to inspire each individual to take action to make the world a better place for people, animals and the environment.” The “Roots & Shoots” program initiated by Foster Parrots in 2005 at the Nappi Primary School resulted in the establishment of the Nappi Village Conservation Club, a group of children dedicated to learning about their natural environment and embracing projects within their community that will help preserve the pristine beauty of Guyana. To read more about “Roots & Shoots” and The Jane Goodall Institute, please visit this link:
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE
CELEBRATION 2008 : Nappi Village, Guyana
Amerindian Culture
Deep down in the interior of Guyana, far from the noise and bustle of Georgetown, her only modern city, tiny Amerindian villages bask in the sun on the savannas, lie lazily along the banks of gently flowing rivers or are tucked into little known folds of rain forest. These are the indigenous people of Guyana. They are quiet people, peaceful and shy, beautiful to behold with their light brown skin, shining eyes and welcoming smiles. They live quite the same now as they have for thousands of years. Generations of Amerindians have sustained themselves completely from the land. They drink the water from their rivers and mountain streams, which have not yet been turned to poison by pollution. They can derive their tools and weapons directly from the forest, fashioning bows and arrows from reeds, natural hardwoods, plant fibers and feathers. Dugout canoes are carved out of the trunks of trees. Palm fronds can just as easily be plaited into roofing material as they can be woven into an instant backpack for carrying food and supplies into and out of the forest. The Amerindians know which plants can be used to ease nausea, treat a headache, or prevent pregnancy. And they have folklore and songs about the plants and trees and animals of the rain forest that explain the natural events around them and define their own relationship to the land. They bleed natural 
rubber from “balata” trees, and fashion intricately detailed figurines and village scenes by melting the rubber in old pots over an open fire and shaping the tiny rubber details by hand. Their staple food is the cassava root, which the women spend many hours preparing in special “cassava huts” so that it can be made into flat bread, tapioca or any of a wide variety of main course foods. Their nights are dimly lit by oil lamps, or just by stars. The music they listen to comes from the birds in the forest or, after the sun has gone down, from the insects, and from the Howler monkeys whose haunting calls roll through the night like typhoon winds.
The Amerindian people are, in so many ways, rich. Their wealth comes from their culture, which is beautiful and honest. From their connection to the natural world, which has sustained them since the beginning of time. From the slow, steady pace of their unhurried lives that are ruled by the rising and setting of the sun and by rainy or dry seasons, but not by clocks, deadlines or tightly wound schedules.
Some of the trappings of modern society have filtered into Amerindian villages, and of course, they desire these “things”. Outboard motors on small boats work better than paddles. Provided with fabrics, needles and spools of colorful thread, the women’s sewing clubs produce detailed, hand stitched tapestries that are attractive to visitors. While string can be made sufficiently from plant fiber, nylon string is a desired commodity. Typical Amerindian villages do not have electricity, but if a primary school or community building can be powered by the donation of a generator, computers or DVD player, worlds of educational possibilities can open up for the children who are generally lucky to even have books. Modern medicine, also, to help with illnesses like malaria, is more effective than what the forest might provide. The inevitability of the modern world seeps in to lure young Amerindians like a pied piper. It threatens not only a slowly fading traditional culture, but Guyana’s intact ecosystems as well. However, there is a glimmer of hope that what is precious about Guyana can be saved. Many village elders are becoming increasingly reluctant to relinquish the land of their ancestors to international exploitation and destruction. And young Amerindians are beginning to step forward in defense of their cultural heritage by pursuing eco-cultural economic alternatives, understanding that the key to their future lies in their past.
Country At A Crossroad: Eco-Challenges Faced By Guyana
Located on the northeast shoulder of South America, Guyana stands as one of the world’s last untouched natural treasures. With an estimated total population of only 770,000 and over 80% of her land mass untouched by development, Guyana is a wonderland of pristine rain forests, savanna lands and abundant wildlife. Sixteen hundred species of parrots and other birds are native to this country. The Jaguar, the Giant Anteater, the Giant 
Otter, the Howler Monkey and the Tapir all belong to Guyana. . While her treasures are many, however, so too are her troubles. Guyana is one of only two countries in South America that still legally exports parrots and other wildlife for the pet trade. In fact, Guyana has been one of the top exporters of wild parrots in the world, and remains active in trapping and trading not only in parrots, but also in wild cats, primates, reptiles, sea turtles and various other land and sea animals as well.
While animal exportation has long been an economic staple of Guyana, more recent outside interest in wider industrial development also threatens the pristine beauty of this country. An unstable political climate had rendered Guyana virtually invisible to external industrial and commercial invasion for decades. Now all eyes are on Guyana, and her lumber, metals and minerals are being widely sought by international interests. At a time when “green economics” are now surfacing internationally as the only means by which we can hope to avoid wide scale global destruction, this is a critical time for a developing country standing at the crossroad between industrial revolution and natural resource conservation. Guyana must now carefully manage the immediate economic benefits that can be derived from the destruction of her natural resources against the lasting economic boost from eco-tourism that can potentially sustain her long into the future.
