Archer Boyes turns quickly and points to the red-billed toucan
perched on a treetop in the canopy. He stares in silence, then,
after a little while, bows his head. 'A part of me is sad whenever
I see these beautiful birds. They are vulnerable creatures and for
many years I was not kind to them.'
Not long ago, the 35-year-old Amerindian from Guyana would trap
exotic birds to sell for a few dollars to unscrupulous tourists. It
was easy money for a young man with no other way to make ends meet.
Today, Boyes still makes a good living off the toucan, and the
other rare species found in Guyana's rainforest; only now he is
helping preserve endangered wildlife and their habitat.
Boyes' transformation is thanks to an intriguing experiment in
the heart of the Guyanese interior. The Makushi tribe, to which he
belongs, has joined forces with international business and leading
scientists in a bid to save this vast pristine rainforest. Some
environmentalists call it one of the most important sustainable
forest management programmes on the planet.
The project is run by the Iwokrama International Centre (IIC),
an autonomous rainforest conservation and development organization
based in Guyana, whose headquarters is in a clearing in the forest
surrounded by thick canopy and winding tribituries. The Iwokrama
reserve is home to some of the world's rarest birds and animal
species. By day, toucans, parrots and rare swallows colour the sky.
At night, the fear-inducing call of howler monkeys fills the
darkness. It is here that top scientists and management consultants
from all corners of the globe rub shoulders with local indigenous
people. The latter are equipped with centuries of invaluable
knowledge about the rainforest and its biodiversity. Together they
are developing the ecoservices of the forest by blending ancient
knowledge with cutting-edge science and business expertise.
The aim is to make the forest profitable through ecotourism,
sustainable timber harvesting and intellectual property. In tandem
with this, they want to protect the rainforest and its
biodiversity, and provide its inhabitants with livelihoods and
local communities with health and education resources.
'Iwokrama is like a broker between the local communities, who
have traditional knowledge, and the private sector, who have
resources like marketing, financial capital and commercial
experience,' says Dane Gobin, director of the IIC. 'This
relationship has often been skewed in favour of the private sector.
We are saying, "Look, you both have the resources, let's see if we
can do this sustainably, and share the benefits equally."'
Victor Aying, a village chief, is one such beneficiary. Aying
works for the IIC and trains in Iwokrama's management program.
'Iwokrama has taught us a better way of earning a living from our
natural resources. If we can make a profit from our natural
resources in a healthy way, we have no need to destroy them,' he
says.
Village elder Fred Allicock lounges on the steps of his large
wooden house that nestles in the rolling hills of the savannah on
the edge of the forest. 'The Makushi people accept the world is
changing,' he says. 'The forest has sustained us for centuries, it
is our supermarket, our bank, our pharmacy. Everything we need we
get from the forest - we hunt, we use trees for timber, fruit for
medicine, vines for furniture, bows and arrows to help us catch our
food. But for us to survive, and safeguard our traditional way of
life, we must modernize and adapt. But at our own pace.'
The modern and the traditional can co-exist, says Samantha
James, a social scientist and outreach worker for the IIC. 'The
same people who know how to find, stalk, kill an animal, cook it
and smoke it so that it's preserved, will tomorrow morning come to
work dressed all nice and neat, turn on the computer, check their
email and work on research programs,' she says. 'You'll hear people
around here talk about collaborative management, sustainable
development and benefit sharing. Come Saturday morning, you'll see
them fishing in the river with traditional indigenous skills that
are learned over a lifetime. It's quite impressive.'
Much hinges on the outcome of Iwokrama, say experts. The very
concept of sustainable development - the idea that the earth's life
support system can survive the modern world - will be determined by
whether or not Iwokrama succeeds, says Gobin. 'The goal of the IIC
is to earn its keep - to replace donor funding with income earned
from sustainable business,' he says. 'If we fail, the forest will
not remain as a protected area, and one will argue that sustainable
development is a myth. Succeed, and we will prove sustainable
forest management works.'