The Kanuku Mountains are a group of mountains in
Guyana
Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
, located in the
Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo region. The name means 'forest' in the Wapishana language, a reference to the rich diversity of wildlife found there. The Eastern Kanuku Mountains and the Western Kanuku Mountains are separated by the
Rupununi River. In 2011, the mountains were designated
National Protected Area.
History
The lowland forests sustain 53% of all the known
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
species in Guyana, and about 70% of all mammals found in Guyana, live in the Kanuku Mountains.
Prominent species include the
Giant otter
The giant otter or giant river otter (''Pteronura brasiliensis'') is a South American carnivorous mammal. It is the longest member of the weasel family, Mustelidae, a globally successful group of predators, reaching up to . Atypical of musteli ...
, the
Harpy eagle
The harpy eagle (''Harpia harpyja'') is a neotropical species of eagle. It is also called the American harpy eagle to distinguish it from the Papuan eagle, which is sometimes known as the New Guinea harpy eagle or Papuan harpy eagle. It is the ...
and the
Arapaima
The arapaima, pirarucu, or paiche is any large species of bonytongue in the genus ''Arapaima'' native to the Amazon and Essequibo basins of South America. ''Arapaima'' is the type genus of the subfamily Arapaiminae within the family Osteoglossi ...
.
The highest peak of the Kanuku Mountains rises to 1,067 metres while the savannah area varies between 120 and 150 metres.
In 2010, concern for the fate of the wildlife of the Kanuku Mountains was raised by the completion of the
Takutu River Bridge
The Takutu River Bridge ( pt, Ponte do Rio Tacutu) is a bridge across the Takutu River, linking Lethem, Guyana, Lethem in Guyana to Bonfim, Roraima, Bonfim in Brazil. It was completed in 2009 and opened on 31 July 2009. Its official inauguration ...
and matching road system linking coastal Guyana with the interior and the Brazilian frontier. The road passes close to the Kanukus and is a potential source of unsustainable resource exploitation.
In 2011, the mainly uninhabited area was protected, and designated a National Protected Area. It is being maintained by the Kanuku Mountains Project.
The conservation area measures . The area around the mountains is inhabited by the
Macushi
The Macushi ( pt, Macuxi) are an indigenous people living in the borderlands of southern Guyana, northern Brazil in the state of Roraima, and in an eastern part of Venezuela.
Identification
The Macushi are also known as the Macusi, Macussi, Ma ...
and
Wapishana
The Wapishana or Wapichan (or Wapisiana, Wapitxana, Vapidiana, Wapixana) are an indigenous group found in the Roraima area of northern Brazil and southern Guyana.
Location
Currently the Wapishana are located in the State of Roraima, Brazil, nort ...
people in 21 communities who use the resources of mountains for their subsistence living.
See also
*
Rupununi
References
Bibliography
*
{{authority control
Guayana Highlands
Mountain ranges of Guyana
National parks of Guyana
Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo
Protected areas of Guyana