The Kanashen (or Konashen) Community Owned Conservation (COCA) is

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 ...

's first community-owned area that is legally protected; it is primarily inhabited by the Wai-Wai indigenous group. Kanashen houses the headwaters of the

Essequibo River The Essequibo River ( Spanish: ''Río Esequibo'' originally called by Alonso de Ojeda ''Río Dulce'') is the largest river in Guyana, and the largest river between the Orinoco and Amazon. Rising in the Acarai Mountains near the Brazil–Guyana ...

, Guyana's principal water source, and encompasses the southern portion of its watershed, which drains the Kassikaityu, Kamoa, Sipu and Chodikar rivers. The main mountains are the Wassarai, Yahore, Komoa and Kaiawakua, with elevations up to about 1200 metres above sea level.

Bio-diversity

Flora

The biology of the Kanashen district is relatively unstudied, except for its flora. Botanically, the area has many species found only in the area and is covered by four general vegetation types, which have remained almost completely intact. The main vegetation types are tall evergreen highland forest and tall/medium evergreen lower montane forest. There are also small areas of tall evergreen flooded riparian forest and lowland shrub savanna. Species such as Manyokinaballi (''Geissospermum spp''.) and Kakaralli (''

Eschweilera ''Eschweilera'' is a genus of woody plants in the family Lecythidaceae first described as a genus in 1828.Pteronura brasiliensis''), the cock of the rock (''

Rupicola rupicola The Guianan cock-of-the-rock (''Rupicola rupicola'') is a species of cotinga, a passerine bird from South America. It is about in length and weighs about . It is found in tropical rainforests, near its preferred habitat of rocky outcrops. The f ...

''), the giant harpy eagle ('' Harpia harpyja'') and other animals that support the livelihood of the Wais-Wais. Three globally threatened species inhabit the COCA: the Giant Armadillo (

Priodontes maximus The giant armadillo (''Priodontes maximus''), colloquially ''tatu-canastra'', ''tatou'', ''ocarro'' or ''tatú carreta'', is the largest living species of armadillo (although their extinct relatives, the glyptodonts, were much larger). It lives ...

), one of the Harlequin Toads (Atelopus spumarius) and the Brazilian Tapir (''

tapirus terrestris The South American tapir (''Tapirus terrestris''), also commonly called the Brazilian tapir (from the Tupi ''tapi'ira''), the Amazonian tapir, the maned tapir, the lowland tapir, the ''anta'' (Portuguese), and ''la sachavaca'' (literally "bushco ...

)''. The Giant Anteater ('' Myrmecophaga tridactyla''), jaguars (''

Panthera onca The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

''), labba ('' Agouti paca''),

peccary A peccary (also javelina or skunk pig) is a medium-sized, pig-like hoofed mammal of the family Tayassuidae (New World pigs). They are found throughout Central and South America, Trinidad in the Caribbean, and in the southwestern area of Nort ...

(''

Tayassu The white-lipped peccary (''Tayassu pecari'') is a species of peccary found in Central and South America and the only member of the genus ''Tayassu''. Multiple subspecies have been identified. White-lipped peccaries are similar in appearance ...

'' spp.) and forest deer ('' Mazama'' spp.) are also known to occur in the area.

Birds

Results of community-based bird surveys at three sites recorded 117 species, approximately 16% of the total number of species recorded in Guyana. This number was increased by an additional 100 species identified during a rapid biological assessment study. Some of the birds present in the COCA are the Screaming Piha ('' Lipaugus vociferans''), White-tailed Trogon ('' Trogon viridis''), Painted Parakeet ('' Pyrrhura picta''), Golden-headed Manakin ('' Pipra erythrocephala''), several species of parrots and macaw including the Scarlet (Ara

macao Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a po ...

), Red Shouldered ('' Diopsittaca nobilis'') and Blue and Yellow (''

Ara ararauna The blue-and-yellow macaw (''Ara ararauna''), also known as the blue-and-gold macaw, is a large South American parrot with mostly blue top parts and light orange underparts, with gradient hues of green on top of its head. It is a member of the la ...

'') Macaws, and species of antbirds (''

Thamnophilidae The antbirds are a large passerine bird family, Thamnophilidae, found across subtropical and tropical Central and South America, from Mexico to Argentina. There are more than 230 species, known variously as antshrikes, antwrens, antvireos, fire ...

'') and

toucan Toucans (, ) are members of the Neotropical near passerine bird family Ramphastidae. The Ramphastidae are most closely related to the American barbets. They are brightly marked and have large, often colorful bills. The family includes five gen ...

s (''

Ramphastidae Toucans (, ) are members of the Neotropical near passerine bird family Ramphastidae. The Ramphastidae are most closely related to the American barbets. They are brightly marked and have large, often colorful bills. The family includes five gen ...

'').

Location

The community lies within the Kanashen Indigenous District in the tropical wilderness of remote southern Guyana. The area covers 625,000 hectares of pristine rainforest and is considered by many to be the last of the pristine frontier rainforest in

. It encompasses the watershed of the Essequibo River (Guyana's major water source) and the tributaries of the Kassikaityu, Kamoa, Sipu and Chodikar rivers. The site contains the Wassarai, Yahore, Komoa and Kaiawakua mountains with elevations as high as 1200 meters above sea level. The pristine state of the area is due to the extremely low population density (about 0.032 humans/km2) and the difficult terrain, which negatively affects accessibility and the economic viability of potential extractive industries.

People and culture

The only community—Masakenari ('the place of the Mosquito')—is located in the area and is inhabited by the Wai-Wai populace. It was established in January 2000 when flooding forced the community to move from its previous location at Akotopono, six kilometers northeast of Masakenari. In the past, the Wai Wai people in Kanashen periodically changed the location of their villages. This reflects the agro-practice of

shifting cultivation Shifting cultivation is an agricultural system in which plots of land are cultivated temporarily, then abandoned while post-disturbance fallow vegetation is allowed to freely grow while the cultivator moves on to another plot. The period of cul ...

in which an area in the forest is cleared, occupied and cultivated for a period before its inhabitants move on to another area. This practice facilitates habitat and soil rejuvenation in the fragile ecosystem of a tropical rainforest. The Wai Wai people have a rich cultural history; many traditions and customs are still observed. Over millennia they have kept a close spiritual, cultural and social relationship with their environment and its resources. For instance, hunters do not eat of their own kill because of the Wai-Wai traditional belief that some plants and animals carry the spirit of their hunter/gatherer. Since the mid 20th century, the Wai Wai community has practiced Christianity, traveling long distances for regular spiritual gatherings with Wai Wai groups in Brazil and Suriname. The primary language spoken in this community is Wai Wai, but English functions as a second language for interaction outside the community, with government, partners, and in the educational system.

Socio-economic information

The community of Masakenari has a resident population of approximately 203 personsDecember.2006 in 34 households. The community is primarily Wai Wai but also contains a few members of other Amerindian groups, mainly

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, no ...

and Trio. The community has a school with nursery, primary and secondary classes for 56 pupils. It is staffed by one head teacher assisted by three teaching staff. The average level of educational attainment in the village is seven years, the equivalent of Form 4 in the Guyanese education system and the highest level of schooling that is available in most villages. The community also has a health centre that is equipped to provide basic health care services and is staffed by a community health worker. The community is serviced by solar powered electricity and water systems. There is an airstrip located 9 kilometers from the village, which is usable during the dry season or when the ground is dry enough to permit landing in the rainy season. Masakenari can also be accessed by river from Erepoimo, the nearest village, by traveling down the Kuyuwini River and then up the Essequibo. There is also a trail connecting the village to Erepoimo. The journey can take up to two weeks with optimal river and trail conditions. Low water in the dry season or flooded trails during the rainy season can make the trip longer and more difficult, even isolating the community at times. Masakenari can be classified as having a subsistence economy; the primary economic activities in the community are farming, hunting, and fishing. The practice of barter is widely used within the community, although there is a gradual transition to a cash economy in order to purchase items for household use such as clothing, cooking utensils, wares, and certain foodstuffs from businesses outside the village. Aside from the few persons with

permanent employment Permanent employees work for an employer and are paid directly by that employer. Permanent employees do not have a predetermined end date to employment. In addition to their wages, they often receive benefits like subsidized health care, paid vac ...

, most households have only occasional access to cash income. Seasonal migration occurs frequently, primarily in the form of men leaving the village to work as laborers in other parts of Guyana or in Brazil. A large number of households have family members, especially children and siblings, living permanently outside the community in order to obtain employment or to attend secondary school or other educational programs. Marriage is another commonly reported reason for leaving the village. Households can and do occasionally supplement their income through craftmaking, sewing, wildlife trading, mining, and the sale of agricultural products such as farine (a staple food made from cassava) and salted fish. Some permanent employment exists in the village, including the community health worker, the hinterland affairs worker, and the teachers. As the elected village leader, the Touchau also receives a monthly stipend.

Governance

The head of the community is the Kayaritomo (Chief/Touchau), who is supported by a deputy Touchau and the council members. Elections to fill these positions are held in accordance with national laws every three years. Kanashen District is administered together with the Deep South Sub-district of Region Nine. The Kayaritomo and the council are supported by several persons within the community including the church elders, women's group, community health worker, hinterland affairs worker, youth leaders and the teachers. The rest of the community is also involved in decision making from time to time as it is the practice of the community leadership to keep the community informed and involved through community meetings to discuss major issues.

Notes

References

* Huber, Otto; Gharbarran, G and Funk, V. (1995). "Vegetation Map of Guyana (preliminary version)". Center for the Study of Biological Diversity, University of Guyana, Georgetown. * * Shea, B. et al. (in press): Rapid assessment of the Avi-fauna in the Konashen District. * Alonso, L; McCullough, J.; Alexander, E.; Wright, H. (2008). "A Rapid Biological Assessment of the Konoshen Community Owned Conservation Area, Southern Guyana". 12-13 {{DEFAULTSORT:Kanashen Indigenous villages in Guyana IUCN Category VI Populated places in Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Protected areas of Guyana