David Cassells for Chloe Lindsay : Thu Jan 13 09:24:53 2000
Hello Chloe

There are currently some 60 people fulltime employees at the Centre. This
includes 10 Senior Scientists and Resource Management Professionals such as
biologists foresters and social scientists and 6 Guyanese Young
Professionals who have recently graduated with masters or doctoral degrees
in technical disciplines related to forest conservation. Six research
assistant and 8 administrative staff at the Centre’s headquarters in
Georgetown support the work of these scientists and the Centre’s field
station in the Iwokrama Forest.

Some 35 people are permanently based at the Field Station. They include 13
Forest Rangers, a forest inventory team, drivers, boatmen and other field
support staff. Iwokrama expects that an additional five senior scientific
and technical staff will join its ranks during the coming year to work on
areas such as bioprospecting and ecotourism.

Camilla : Thu Jan 13 10:41:30 2000
Hi David

What crops and other resources ARE being grown at present ? Are these just used locally or sold elsewhere ?

David Cassells for Camilla : Thu Jan 13 10:42:43 2000
Camilla

There are no crops being produced within the Iwokrama Forest at present
except for small area of cassava and other vegetables for the local use of
the Fairview Village (population 100).

Iwokrama will complete its forest zoning and management planning during the
coming year and be seeking commercial partners for the production of
sustainably produced timer and non-timber forest products such as balata
and nibi vine. Pilot level production should start in the year 2001 and
gradually grow over time.

Sam : Thu Jan 13 10:47:48 2000
Is there a boundary fence around Iwokrama ? How are poachers/hunters kept out ?

David Cassells for Sam : Thu Jan 13 11:10:19 2000
Iwokrama does not have any boundary fences. Its boundaries are set by the
major rivers in the area such as the Essequibo and Siparuni Rivers.

Under the Centre’s governing legislation, local Amerindian people are
allowed to continue traditional hunting and fishing within the Iwokrama
Forest. Iwokrama is working with these communities to help ensure that
wildlife use is sustainable and to seek their cooperation in controlling
hunting and poaching by outside people.

Iwokrama Rangers regularly patrol the forest and the Iwokrama Act specifies
significant penalties for activities such as illegal hunting and mining.
Iwokrama is putting a major effort into environmental education to make the
conservation and management of the reserve a genuine partnership with all
potential forest users.

Christian : Thu Jan 13 11:11:26 2000
What might happen if you get better transport links to the area ? Are you concerned or would you want better links ?

David Cassells for Christian : Thu Jan 13 11:12:29 2000
Better transport would bring both benefits and problems to Iwokrama.
Improved road access would make the forest more accessible for educational
and tourism purposes and reduce the cost of bringing forest products to
market. However, improved roads bring greater pressures for illegal
hunting, timber cutting and mining and can aid the spread of weeds in the
forest environment.

Iwokrama is currently developing a detailed road management plan for the
main road, which passes through the forest. This will guide its operations
and help promote cooperation with national agencies to ensure that the
benefits from improved access are maximised while the problems are minimised.

David Hughell : Thu Jan 13 14:03:15 2000
Hello from Guyana. How are we doing?

David Cassells : Thu Jan 13 14:04:30 2000
I see my message on the board, so I assume we have made the real-time connection. I am here in the Iwokrama headquarters in Georgetown Guyana, and David Cassells, Iwokrama Director General, will be joining me any moment now.

sam hobbs : Thu Jan 13 14:10:16 2000
What subsistence farming takes place in Iwokrama?

sam hobbs : Thu Jan 13 14:12:31 2000
What subsistence farming takes place in Iwokrama?

sam hobbs : Thu Jan 13 14:14:25 2000
What subsistence farming takes place in Iwokrama?

David Cassells for Sam : Thu Jan 13 14:16:00 2000
Hi Sam

With the exception of the small area for the Fairview village, there is no
subsistence farming in the Iwokrama Forest. Most of the surrounding
communities live outside the forest in the savannah. They use small area
of forest outside the Iwokrama Reserve for cassava and vegetable
cultivation. They also use the forest for hunting and fishing.

Chloe Lindsay : Thu Jan 13 14:16:10 2000
How can schools in the UK help Iwokrama?

David Cassells for Chloe : Thu Jan 13 14:20:38 2000
Schools can help Iwokrama by staying interested in the global environment
and managing their own consumption of natural resources to ensure that they
minimise their effect on the environment both globally and near to home.
The United Kingdom Government supports Iwokrama through the Department for
International Development and students could write to the Department or the
Minister for Intentional Development to tell them how they appreciate this
support.

Later in the year, Iwokrama hopes to have a scheme were schools and
individuals can become directly involved in the Iwokrama partnership by
sponsoring the conservation of an acre of rainforest within the Iwokrama
Forest. Monies raised from schemes will support scientific research, the
protection and management of the Iwokrama Forest and community development
activities in the communities that live in or near the forest. Details on
this scheme will be posted on the Centre’s web page. However, schools and
students can email the Centre now if they wish to be notified when the
scheme is operating.

Students can also help Iwokrama by writing to the schools in the
communities living in or near the Iwokrama Forest. Children in these
schools love to learn about what is happening elsewhere in the world. They
also love to share their experiences of living in or near the Iwokrama
Forest. Schools interested in this should contact Ms Vanda Radzic, the
Community Development Fellow at the Iwokrama International Centre.

David Cassells : Thu Jan 13 14:37:36 2000
Thank you all for your questions.

All of us : Thu Jan 13 14:55:58 2000
Thank you very much for doing the live link with us this afternoon. Keep in touch.

George Foulkes : Thu Jan 13 15:00:39 2000
Thanks very much for everything and all good wishes for the future.

All Of Us : Thu Jan 13 22:12:25 2000
Thank You Very Much David For This Afternoon Thank You For Answering Our Questions!

Graham Watkins : Tue Feb 19 22:57:59 2002
Hello from Guyana - Does this talk board still function?

scott bland : Mon Mar 25 09:50:43 2002
how would a small scale development (eg ecolodge)impact the wildlife (for an essay0

Neeta Parbudial : Sun Oct 27 19:57:18 2002
Hello......I am required to write an essay on "Iwokrama" for an research essay and well i was wondering.......Where is it that IWOKRAMA gets it support from?

Darius Doctor : Fri Dec 13 20:16:16 2002
Hello from the Philippines. i do hope your project is still uncorrupted.

Brent Laycock : Sat Jul 5 21:11:20 2003
I was a participant with Youth Challenege International back in 1996...was wondering how the people of Kurupukari are doing? Is the school still in operation? Is the Captain still running the ferry across the river? Is Martin and his wife still on Martin's Island? Is the Iwokrama still hosting mammalogists etc. for research? Is Fred still there? So many questions about that wonderful place. Would love to come back and see how everything has changed!

Simone Alicia Mangal for Brent : Tue Oct 7 02:05:15 2003
Hello... from Barbados. I used to be at Iwokrama, I still visit and volunteer with them whenever I can. Kurupukari has grown a bit, better school, good teachers now. Capo is still running the ferry but the ferry is now owned by Mekdeci (wealthy Georgetwon based group)- they have a contract to maintain and manage the road. Vehicular traffic now takes about 7 hours from GT compared to 1996. Unfortunatley, Martin had a brush with the law and was away for a while. He's now back with his wife D, but not living on the island anymore. The Royal Ontario Museum come down every couple of years and continue to work with IWK. Uncle Fred (Allicock) is busy on his farm in Surama and is still going like the energizer bunny. The communities have really come into their own. There are many local institutions now. The NGO (NRDDB) formed in 1996 has outgrwin Iwokram and deals with many international and national partners, the ladies in the Makushi Research Unit have published several books and are piloting a bilingual programme in the schools, wildlife clubs have taken off, the Bina Hill Indigenous Research Centre was founded by residents a few years back and is the hub for young people, citizen science research and ...they will soon have internet ... you must go back if you can. Write to the Director General Ag, Iwokrama Dr. Graham Watkins at [email protected]
Give him my regards, Iwokrama forever in my heart.

samuelsamaroo : Sun Nov 16 17:26:03 2003
i need info on the structure of iworkrama , i'm writin an essay

samuelsamaroo : Sun Nov 16 17:26:43 2003
i need info on the structure of iworkrama , i'm writin an essay. add me @ [email protected] or [email protected]

Ronald Singh : Thu Nov 27 09:42:53 2003
pls keep up the good work there, was wondering how waste is
disposed of there,ie bottles, soda cans etc
[email protected]

Simone Alicia Mangal : Sun Dec 28 21:30:26 2003
For Samuel
You might want ot be more specific. The Centre is governed by an International Board of Trustees, which represent key stakeholders in the Commonwealth and includes a representative of the local indigenous communities, Mr. Sydney allicock, as well as four Board members appointed by the Government of Guyana. As far as I know this is the only major international R&D forestry organisation that has indigenous / local community respresentation on thier Board. The Centre is currently in transition - it is taffed by a Director General and has three other directors. Then there are units organised around work programmes. There is a field station in the forest staffed by management, tourism and other staff and park rangers. For more information visit the website at www.iwokrama.org (under reconstruction I think) or write the Director at [email protected]. Good luck.

Simone Mangal : Sun Dec 28 21:31:37 2003
For Ronald
You should write Dvid Singh at [email protected] for this information.
Cheers

Rob Sutherland : Tue Jan 6 09:05:15 2004
Hi,

I have just stumbled across this site and it's great to see news about the place and people in Iwokrama - I was out there with the University of Glasgow back in 1995! I have lost touch with most the folk who were out there with me, so if you also stumble across this and want to get in touch my email address is: [email protected]

One day I would love to get back there!

All the best

Rob

Simone Mangal : Sun Jan 25 00:41:27 2004
Rob there are probably plenty opportunities to go back, especially now. You should write Graham Watkins about opps.
[email protected]. I'm afraid that execpt for the community members and some government employees, not many of your colleagues from 1995 would be around. If you remember folks u want to get in touch with, write the Centre - they'll facilitate I am sure.

Brent Laycock : Fri Feb 13 09:27:22 2004
Thank you Simone. Someday I'll find a way to get back to Guyana. If anyone remembers the group I was with in '96 and wants to contact...email me at [email protected]

Britta : Wed Apr 7 21:03:02 2004
Hi i am doing a report on rainforest conservation and i am wondering what are the affect of cutting down the forests relating to people, plants, and animals

Graham Watkins : Fri Apr 9 17:34:31 2004
Dear Britta: Tropical rain forest continue to be cut down world wide - there are several recent articles about rain forests being lost in Brazil for conversion to agriculture. Howevever the question about what is the effect of cutting down rain forests relating to people, plants and animals is complicated. On one hand, cutting down rain forests can provide economic benefits for people - jobs through the sales of timber, shifting land use to agriculture, and providing the basis for development in many countries. As examples, the UK and USA during their early development cut down much of the forst in their countries and then used these resources to support development. Iwokrama was actually developed to answer the vexing question as to how you can get these kinds of economic and developmental benefits without destroying the forest to get them. That, however, is one side of the problem. On the other side is the concern about the impacts of cutting forests on local communities, who tend not to benefit and lose hunting and fishing areas, access areas for other forest products, and often suffer from the negative effects of development (diseases, pollution, and other impacts). In many cases "business" focuses on economic gains at the expense of the social, cultural and ecological. Of course, ultimately plant and animal populations can be very negatively affected by cutting forests down - have a look at our web site (www.iwokrama.org) for more information on these issues. I think the main message though is that the conservation of tropical rain forests is very complicated and needs to consider the social, cultural, ecological and economic costs and benefits for local people, developing nations and the global community. Too often, we find "solutions" that just satisfy one set of people - and tropical rain forests are complex human ecosystems and need a great deal more effort for conservation. Hope this helps, all my best, Graham

Roxroy Bollers : Fri May 21 17:39:40 2004
I`m proud to be working at Iwokrama. Although they are all these complications in the world today. I think once the support is there for Iwokrama, the project will indeed show the world that it is possible to do sustainablely use the forest.

I wish to hear from you guys...

Roxanne : Thu Oct 14 15:49:04 2004
Hello, I was a Youth Challenge Participant in 2000. I returned in the summer of 2001 to conduct research in Surama Village. I just wanted to know how things are going in the village with the NRDDB, sewing group, rest house, Makushi Research unit. Any updates you can offer, would be greatly appreciated

therealChloeLindsay : Mon Oct 18 00:08:37 2004
whats up?!? the rainforest is dead. whos using my name in here? and who is david from london? is he hot?