South Rupununi Conservation Society

Guyana

Name: South Rupununi Conservation Society
Country: Guyana
Year of establishment: 2002
Type of organization: Community-based association or organization

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South Rupununi Conservation Society

Guyana

Name: South Rupununi Conservation Society
Country:
Year of establishment:
Type of organization: Community-based association or organization

Share this solution:

Description

The South Rupununi Conservation Society (SRCS) is the leading grassroots, Indigenous-led conservation NGO in Guyana whose aim is to preserve the wildlife, environment and culture of the Rupununi through environmental education, community-based conservation and research.

Founded in 2002, shortly after the remarkable scientific discovery of the Guyana population of Endangered Red Siskins (Spinus cucullatus), the SRCS adopted the species as its logo and were recognized as the “legal guardians” of the bird by the Guyana Environmental Protection Authority in 2003. Since that time, SRCS has led efforts to protect the Red Siskin and other threatened wildlife by collaborating with local Indigenous communities to build the capacity of their residents to monitor wildlife, raise awareness, create conservation management action plans and more.

Examples of projects implemented by SRCS include the implementation of a 2-year environmental education curriculum to over 500 children in 13 Indigenous communities across the Rupununi, the facilitation of Traditional Knowledge classes to over 360 students in 12 Indigenous communities to help preserve Indigenous Knowledge, the research, monitoring and conservation of the Vulnerable Giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), the Endangered Yellow-spotted river turtle (Podocnemis unifilis), the Critically Endangered Hoary-throated Spinetail (Synallaxis kollari) and the Critically Endangered Rio Branco Antbird (Cercomacra carbonaria).

All of the projects implemented by SRCS are designed and led by the Indigenous residents of the Rupununi region of Guyana. Since the formation of SRCS, the organisation has directly involved over 200 people in the leading of their projects. Every single SRCS project is done in collaboration with the Indigenous communities of the Rupununi, Guyana, and are aimed at building the capacity of communities to effectively manage their wildlife and providing alternative livelihoods that are focused on the preservation of threatened wildlife and the environment.

SRCS recognizes that threats facing vulnerable wildlife, the environment and the preservation of local culture in the Rupununi are increasing. The organisation therefore aims to continue their mission of empowering local communities to be able to mitigate these threats and reverse their impacts.

Nature Element: Grasslands and drylands
Type of Action: Awareness building and education, Ecosystem protection, Protection and sustainable management of wildlife, Sustainable use of natural resources
Sustainable Development Element: Jobs and livelihoods | Education | Sustainable communities and disaster risk reduction | Partnerships (SDG 17)

Environmental Impacts

Since the formation of SRCS, the organisation has involved hundreds of individuals who have gained training, project experience and the development of leadership skills through the project activities. A number of these individuals have now proceeded to leadership positions in their community where they place an emphasis on the sustainable management of their resources and environment. Concurrently, SRCS has also been able to input to local and national management plans to place a focus on the conservation of threatened wildlife and the safeguarding of the environment.

Concerning the initiative, since 2003, the Red Siskin has been used as a flagship species by SRCS for conservation at both a local and national level. This has helped to generate support to protect other threatened and important wildlife species including the Giant anteater, the Yellow-spotted river turtle, the Hoary-throated spinetail and the Rio branco antbird. It has also helped to inspire other communities locally and nationally to create organisations to protect their locally threatened wildlife.

The research conducted by SRCS also led to the organisation to collaborate with Birdlife International to confirm South Central Rupununi as the first Important Bird Area in Guyana. Further, SRCS will soon confirm the area as the first Key Biodiversity Area in Guyana which will bring international recognition and will support efforts to protect other threatened wildlife in the region.

The conservation zone for the Red Siskin is resulting in a decrease in habitat destruction for the Red Siskin. This reduction in habitat destruction will benefit not only the Red Siskin but an abundance of other wildlife who share the same habitat. It is also leading to the stablisation of the Red Siskin population which supports global efforts to reverse the population decline of the species. As more baseline data is collected, rules to protect other vulnerable species will be added with the support of the communities.

Sustainable Development Impacts

Jobs and Livelihoods - There are limited opportunities for income generation in the Rupununi and most are based on overharvesting natural resources. Since the formation of SRCS and through the Red Siskin project, over 100 persons have gained a livelihood with SRCS.

Education - From the Red Siskin initiative, SRCS has implemented an environmental education curriculum to over 500 students in 13 Indigenous communities in the Rupununi.

Sustainable communities - Through the Red Siskin project and other SRCS initiatives, SRCS is aiming to create alternative livelihoods that are focused on the preservation of wildlife rather than their overconsumption.

Partnerships - SRCS is working to collaborate at a local, national and international level to synthesise the collective knowledge of relevant organisations to help sustainably manage the wildlife and environment of the Rupununi.

RESILIENCE, ADAPTABILITY, AND SELF-SUFFICIENCY

Following the discovery of the Red siskin and the subsequent formation of SRCS in 2003, the organisation had to start from scratch with no resources and no funding. Over time, the organisation had to develop its capacity in order to be eligible for increasing amounts of funding. For the first decade of the organisation's lifespan, SRCS had to rely on its members to volunteer their time, services and transportation as well as covering the majority of their own costs for Red Siskin projects including fuel and rations. As such, most of the early data that was collected on the Red Siskin was gathered through local volunteerism. Due to the successes from this early hardship, SRCS has been able to secure funds to pay rangers from each community who now collect data and monitor the zone.

Based on the data collected, SRCS has collaborated with communities to create the zone in response to the environmental pressures that were being faced by the Red Siskin.

REDUCED INEQUALITIES

SRCS is an Indigenous-led organisation whose membership comprises of residents from Indigenous communities of the Rupununi. There is no age limit for SRCS and as such the age range of current members is from 4 to 78. During SRCS general meetings, SRCS actively encourages all members, regardless of their background or age, to contribute to discussions and to present their ideas for future projects.

This practice was also replicated during the consultations for the creation of the Red Siskin community based conservation management zone. Further, the agreement to the zone could not be completed without the consensus of the community which ensured that the views of all groups within the community had to be supported.

Overall, it is important to emphasise that the zone was designed, created and implemented by the Indigenous People of the Rupununi. There are few examples of this on a national and international level.

GENDER EQUALITY

Since the formation of SRCS in 2003, the organisation has made efforts to ensure that there is gender equality within the organisation. This can be seen across all of the SRCS projects where there is either a gender balance or a female majority in each project team. It is important to note that this is unique for conservation in Guyana where there is normally a high male dominance in field work due to the stereotypes and discrimination involved in the practice. Further, SRCS was able to achieve this through creating a positive reputation for the organisation where females know they can operate in a safe environment when in the field.

For the Red Siskin project, in each community, there is a gender balanced or female majority team. This has been done through the positive reputation developed by SRCS through practices such as implementing a code of conduct and by incorporating gender issues into training sessions. In addition, SRCS has also adopted policies such as the inclusion of a ""child care dependency stipend"" which is given to women with young children to pay for a child caretaker while they complete their field work with SRCS. Further, a budget line for child care dependency is included in each SRCS project budget to help maintain this for future projects.

Through the encouragement, support and training for young female conservationists, SRCS has helped to create the next generation of female leaders in the Rupununi.

Scalability

SRCS is working with the local district council which represent Indigenous communities in the South Rupununi to help create a wildlife management plan. Within this plan, the use of creating community conservation management zones will be included.

SRCS is also collaborating with other conservation organisation and national agencies to advise them on the future direction of their projects. The model used to create the Red Siskin community conservation management zone will be continue to be shared with these organisations and support will be offered by SRCS to help these organisations.

Replicability

Due to the success of the Red siskin community based conservation management zone, SRCS is working to collaborate with other communities to create new community conservation management zones to protect other threatened wildlife such as the Giant Armadillo and the Rio Branco Antbird using the same model. Communities and organisations within Guyana or internationally can replicate this model to protect their threatened wildlife.

As a whole, the work of SRCS has also inspired other communities across Guyana to create their own locally-led conservation organisations.

Disclaimer: The content presented in this Nature-based Solutions Database is submitted directly by South Rupununi Conservation Society and does not reflect the views or positions of the UNDP Equator Initiative. We do not edit or endorse the information provided, nor are we responsible for its accuracy. Our platform serves solely as a space for Indigenous Peoples and Local Community (IPLC) organizations to showcase their work and share their stories in their own words.