> RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY IN THE RAIN FOREST OF CENTRAL GUYANA > > The Iwokrama International Rain Forest Programme offers > facilities for research in a remote pristine forest area 300 km > south of Georgetown. The mission of the Iwokrama Programme is: > > To undertake research, training and the development of > technologies which will promote the conservation and the > sustainable and equitable use of tropical rain forests in a > manner that will lead to lasting ecological, economic and social > benefits to the people of Guyana and to the world in general." Does this "pristine forest area" contain any indigenous cultures, and will they benefit from your research? > The Iwokrama Programme is in its start-up phase and welcomes > researchers who would help improve the scientific foundations of > sustainable utilization of the forest. At present research is > needed in the following fields: > > * General characterization of the physical > characteristics of the site > * Characterization of the flora and fauna > * Forest ecology with special emphasis of regeneration of > timber trees > * Forest type classification and mapping > * Identification and development of non-timber forest > products How come there are no social scientists (anthropologists, etc.) on your list? "Equitable utilization of forest resources" obviously does not reflect the needs/desires of the indigenous groups who have lived there for thousands of years. > The Iwokrama International Rain Forest Programme has its > origins in an offer by the Honourable Desmond Hoyte, then > President, on behalf of the people and the Government of Guyana, > of an area of undisturbed forest in central Guyana. This land This "undisturbed forest" is looks undisturbed today because it has been successfully managed for thousands of years by indigenous groups! > was to be used for conservation of biodiversity, for training and > for research leading to the development of techniques for > sustainable and equitable utilisation of forest resources. The > offer was made at the 1989 Commonwealth Heads of Government > Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Business as usual in Malaysia > A Commonwealth Group of experts headed by Dr. Swaminathan, > then President of IUCN, assisted an inter-agency team headed by > the Guyana Natural Resources Agency (GNRA) in developing the > overall concept for the Programme, including the identification > of the forest site. The site which is almost entirely bounded by > rivers, including the Essequibo, also contains the Iwokrama > mountain range after which the Programme is named. Sounds like a beautiful place, too bad it will soon reduced to nothing more than a tree farm. > Guidelines for the management of this large site were > subsequently outlined by consultants. The Natural Resources > Institute (NRI), UK, assisted by Guyanese and international > scientists carried out a preliminary survey of fauna and flora, > soil and vegetation types, geology and ethno-botanical aspects of > the site, funded by the British Overseas Development > Administration (ODA) in 1992. What about the people???????? You know, those pesky natives that stand in the way of "progress." Will industrial tropical forestry ever acknowledge the cultural genocide that they perpetuate? Bret Diamond Oregon, USA
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