A Guyanese from the South Rupununi has been awarded with a prize by a prestigious UK charity for his efforts in the Indigenous-led protection and conservation of an endangered bird.
A release yesterday from the South Rupununi Conservation Society announced that UK charity, the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN), had recognised Leroy Ignacio of Guyana with a Whitley Award for galvanising one of the country’s first Indigenous-led conservation movements to strengthen protection for the Red Siskin, a small endangered finch, which has become a flagship species for conservation in the rainforest nation.
The award was presented in May 01, by Charity Patron, Her Royal Highness (HRH) The Princess Royal, at the Royal Geographical Society in the UK, in a ceremony that marks three decades since the very first Whitley Award was presented and 25 years since the Princess’ involvement as Patron.
Sir David Attenborough, WFN Ambassador and a long-term supporter of the charity, said the growing network of winners represent some of the best conservation leaders in the world: “Whitley Award winners combine knowing how to respond to crises yet also bring communities and wider audiences with them.”
According to the release, Ignacio, who is Indigenous Makushi, and president and founding member of the South Rupununi Conservation Society (SRCS), is leading an expansion of the community-managed conservation zone in southern Guyana, with his team of local rangers, to include the full range of the small songbird. He and his team are the primary agents for monitoring the Red Siskin for which they helped secure legal protection after it was ‘scientifically’ discovered in Guyana in 2000 by Ignacio and a group of friends from local Indigenous communities accompanied by international scientists. He was careful to explain that the Red Siskin was “scientifically” discovered, as prior to this, local communities were already aware of the presence of the bird.
This in turn, the release stated, inspired the creation of the 75,000-hectare Red Siskin Community Managed Conservation Zone to protect the bird, in collaboration with five Indigenous communities. They designed the zone on their land in one of the first of its kind in Guyana, proving a model for other communities, and attracting eco-tourism to the remote area.
Guyana is home to the only significant wild population of the Red Siskin after it was discovered to exist outside of Venezuela, where it was once common but numbers collapsed due to the wild bird trade. Historically called Cardenalitos in Venezuela, its feathers were used to decorate hats and it was hunted to cross-breed with canaries to produce a red canary.
Ignacio’s SRCS now plans to strengthen the monitoring, management, and sustainability of the zone amid threats to the bird which include trapping and habitat loss caused by wildfires. With his team of rangers – some of whom are now third generation – he will bolster protection for the Red Siskin’s remote habitat from wildfires through active habitat management and controlled burning of areas at risk of wildfires around Red Siskin hotspots while working with communities and government to co-manage the site. Ignacio’s team also plans to lobby financial support for the active preservation of wildlife which extends to preserving species, including giant anteaters and giant armadillos.
The release explained that the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) is a UK charity supporting grassroots conservation leaders in the Global South. For over 30 years it has channelled some £23 million to more than 200 conservationists across 80 countries. An early pioneer in the sector, WFN was one of the first charities to channel funding directly to projects led by in-country nationals. Its rigorous application process identifies inspiring individuals who combine the latest science with community-based action.
WFN’s flagship prizes – Whitley Awards – are presented by charity Patron, HRH The Princess Royal, at a prestigious annual ceremony in London at the Royal Geographical Society. Winners receive funding, training, and profile boost, including short films narrated by WFN Ambassador Sir David Attenborough, the release added.
