The Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development (Iwokrama) in collaboration with its community partners, the North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB), and the ExxonMobil Foundation, last month launched a new publication, “Conservation Canvases: Hand-Painted Banners from the North Rupununi Wildlife Club Festival” along with a board game, “Wildlife Wonders”, at an event at Annai, North Rupununi, Region Nine, an Iwokrama release stated.
The idea was born out of a 2023 Wildlife Club Festival at Annai where each club created a banner for the “Parade of Banners” held during the opening ceremony. These banners demonstrated exceptional talent and creativity, and to celebrate their significance, each club developed a story to accompany the banners, resulting in the creation of this unique publication.
The Wildlife Wonders game is similar to the traditional Snakes and Ladders but uses a forest theme and includes several key biodiversity species found in Guyana’s forests.
According to Iwokrama, the intention of these conservation initiatives is to showcase the work of the youth from the communities of the North Rupununi and inspire a deep sense of conservation in these young people, which it is expected will permeate communities both in the hinterland and on the coast. For more than 20 years wildlife club members have become leaders in several areas including village leadership, managers, researchers, tourism experts, rangers, and much more.
The release also noted that the Foundation funds several other projects in the North Rupununi that align with the Low Carbon Development Strategy 2030, including support for 17 wildlife clubs (with some 400 children), forestry research, the Makushi Research Unit, and Radio Paiwomak, the first community-owned radio station. Further, a coastal programme led by Environmental Management Consultants Inc (EMC) and the EMC Foundation covers areas such as species conservation, sustainable livelihoods in tourism, ecosystem restoration and management and environmental education and awareness.
