Fairview

Fairview information

Arapaima Rescue Mission in Rewa River, North Rupununi, Region 9. Feb 6, 2016

Drought conditions continue to impact communities in Region 9, wells are drying and forest and savannah fires are burning out of control. Community members from Rewa, a riverine community in the North Rupununi, reported that drought conditions are also threatening arapaima. Arapaima are the largest scaled fresh water fish in the world and Guyana’s rivers are a last stronghold for these endangered fish.

Arapaimas rescued from drought-affected pond

 

Kevin Edwards, Everton Allicock, Rojas Jonas and Stephanu Honorio with the second adult arapaima released (photo by Lakeram Hayes)

 

Reblogged from http://www.caribnewsdesk.com/news/11321-arapaimas-rescued-from-drought-a...

Community Atlases produced by Project FAUNA

Year of Production: 
2013

Project Fauna is the field name for U.S. National Science Foundation award DEB 0508094 (2005-2011) “Biodiversity dynamics and land-use changes in the Amazon: multi-scale interactions between ecological systems and resource-use decisions by indigenous peoples”, directed by Principal Investigator Jose M. V. Fragoso.

Sample video

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Fairview

Village Profile

Village Profile

 



Population

232

Male

126

Female

106

Households

41

Religion

Christian , (Anglican )

Peoples

Makushi , Wapishana , Patamona ,

Skills

Boat captain , rangers , tour guides ,cooks , chainsaw operator , mason , carpenters , drivers farmers ,

Village Assets

Grass cuter , boat engine , water pump ,

Employment

Teachers , health worker , ranger , shopkeepers , cooks , waitress ,

Economic Activities

Farming , fishing , hunting ,

Buildings

Health post , primary and nursery school , teachers quarters , multipurpose building , market hut , rest house ,

Local Organization

Wildlife club , women’s group , Parent, Teachers, Friends Association ,

Location

Fair View Amerindian Village is situated on the left bank or the western bank of the Essequibo River at the crossing and is also known historically as Kurupukari. It is located adjacent to the Linden-Lethem Road which was first completed in 1992. Fair View obtained title for its Village Lands in 2006. Its titled lands consist of approximately 21,950.82 hectares. It is the only Amerindian territory located within the Iwokrama Forest Programme Site and as such has special rights-holder relations with the Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development.

Description of Fair View and Relationship with the Iwokrama Forest

 From time immemorial, the Makushi people and their ancestors traditionally used and otherwise occupied the Pîyakîîta (Place of Landings) – the ancestral Makushi lands of Guyana consisting of the area now described as the North Rupununi sub-region (and its Wetlands) and inclusive of the Iwokrama Mountains and Iwokrama Forest.

 

The above declaration of customary rights is made in the Collaborative Management Agreement (CMA: Preamble Section Clause iii) which was signed between the North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB) and the Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development (Iwokrama). This CMA came into effect on July 1st 2005 and was renewed in 2008.

 

History

History of Fairview:

The Amerindian Village of Fair View is located on the Essequibo River at Kurupukari. Fair View is the only Amerindian Village with its titled lands located within the Iwokrama Forest. The site was the location of an ancient indigenous settlement, and evidence of this is provided by petroglyphs at the village landing, as well as by the rich black soil, the terra pretax, in parts of the area. However, Fair View is not a settlement of the same kind as the other sixteen communities currently comprising the North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB). The contemporary Village of Fair View grew out of an extended family homestead in a strategically located spot, which has in turn attracted newcomers from various Amerindian districts, villages and communities as well as coastlanders who have settled there and entered into unions, and who now find more advantages in remaining here than in moving on. The population has grown rapidly over the past few years.

There is evidence of past human occupation of the forest in the form of petroglyphs, potsherds and stone tools and palm stands. The oral historical record has preserved a number of stories and deep rooted cultural beliefs about the Iwokrama Mountains situated inside the Iwokrama Forest.

Kurupukari, where the village of Fair View is located, was an important junction during the cattle trail. The settled community remained after the cattle trail was closed in 1968 and a small population depended on gold mining in the Siparuni River in the 1980s and 1990s. Settlers also came across from Apoteri after the closure of the Balata company around 1970. Mining, trading in crabwood oil, fishing and hunting were the main sources of income, until the commencement of field operations surrounding the Iwokrama Programme and the subsequent establishment of the Iwokrama Field Station, when employment by Iwokrama became a significant source of livelihood for the villagers of Fair View. The village is mainly made up Arawak, Makushi, Wapishana and more recently, Patamona peoples, as well as mixed Amerindians and settlers from the coastland.

Title to village lands has been discussed for several years with Iwokrama and the Government during the zoning of the Iwokrama Programme Site, and the establishment of the Sustainable Utilisation Area and the Wilderness Preserve.

The Fair View Report of the Participatory Human Resource Interaction Appraisals (PHRIA), carried out in 1999 by NRDDB and Iwokrama with the participation of the then twelve communities of the North Rupununi, contains a succinct historical description of the area. This historical summary makes reference to:

�� The evidence of early Amerindian occupants and the use of Kurupukari as a significant trading post in the pre-colonial / pre-historic era.

�� The subsequent colonization period with evidence of Dutch settlements in Old Egypt and Post Arinda.

�� The establishment of the Kurupukari outpost as part of the route of the Rupununi Cattle Trail which operated between 1920 and 1953, and which provided the first overland link between the Rupununi and the coast.

�� The Government Station on the east bank of the Essequibo River which finally closed down in the mid-50s.

�� The first road links from the coast in the 1980’s.

 

The only historical forest use, aside from native subsistence activities, was Balata bleeding which began in the late 19th century and continued up to 1970 or thereabouts, when the Balata trade lost its economic viability. Migration from Apoteri to Kurupukari occurred after the collapse of the Balata industry. Apoteri was the main center of the Balata industry in Guyana and the location of the managing company’s operations base, stores and compound of offices and living quarters.

Prior to the completion of the Georgetown-Lethem Road in 1992, the only access to forest lands in the Kurupukari area was via the old cattle trail. The opening of the Lethem-Kurupukari road in 1991 ended its relative isolation.

The PHRIA document explains how the current settlement of Fair View was founded around 1925 by an extended family group comprising two sisters and a brother and their respective families. The sisters were Miriam and Eunice Andries and their brother Arthur Andries. Miriam married Vanuvous Allicock, and Eunice was the wife of Ernest Bowen. This was the founding family of what has evolved today into Fair View Amerindian Village.

 

Granting of Land Title to Fair View Amerindian Village

Fair View Amerindian Village holds legal title to approximately 21,950.83 hectares of lands within the Iwokrama Forest. On the 21st June, 2006, Fair View Amerindian Village was issued its land title by order of the President of Guyana conferring on the village of Fair View “absolutely and forever the said tract of State Land”.

 

Fair View Village Council

The Fair View Village Council was established by Ministerial order under Section 10 of the Amerindian Act 2006. The State has transferred in 2006 to the Village Council ownership of an area of approximately 21,950.83 hectares of State land from within the site of the Iwokrama Programme. The Village Council is the legal local government organ entrusted with observance of the Rule of Law with obligations for the overall management and good governance of the community, its communally held assets and resources.

 

Resources

STRENGTHS:

  • The village is legally titled and as such has the authority under the New Amerindian act to manage its own affairs albeit under an agreement with Iwokrama

  • As a forest village it has a lot of forest resources that once managed properly can serve the community’s future generations

  • It is within the Iwokrama rainforest and is near to the only hinterland centre of the Iwokrama International Centre (IIC) and as such benefit from mutual agreements and resources made available by this international conservation entity

  • It has very rich lands for agriculture

  • It is near to the Essequibo River and still has good fish catchment areas nearby

  • It is situated at the entry point to Region 9, where the vehicles and goods enter and leave same.

  • Community members get a first chance to gain employment from Iwokrama (IIC)

  • It has a health post manned by a local Community health worker

  • It has a school with one trained teacher

  • An airstrip is in the community and can be used for emergency, tourism and other purposes

  • It has communication to the outer world via the IIC internet connections and a VHF radio

  • It comprises of people who came from various backgrounds, which can be tapped into to accelerate sustainable development

 

WEAKNESSES:

  • It is a relatively young community and as such the benefits of primary education is still to be noted

  • Villagers frequent the mines and this may cause problems for health, family relationships and an absence of a gender and youth

  • Youth are hardly found in the community because of the opportunities for jobs in the mines

  • The community is easily accessible for itinerant travelers and this can pose a problem for governance

  • The small population and the migration of people may cause some opportunities to be lost.

 

OPPORTUNITIES:

  • Farming can be done on small scale or large scale because of the rich soil in the area. There is a ready market at the IIC

  • Fishing can be done in an organized manner. Salted fish and fresh fish can be sold because the village is situated on the Lethem to Georgetown road.

  • A thriving restaurant managed by the villagers can exist with delicacies such as fish and wild meat, farine and cassava bread being served.

  • A village market can also be an excellent source of income where farine, cassava bread, provisions, fruits, vegetables, etc, can be sold.

  • A handicraft shop can do well because of the large amount of tourist who come to IIC

  • A tourism package can be developed.

  • Housing can be improved because of the ready supply of wooden materials due to an agreement with Tiger Woods Inc.

  • Because of the forest resourses the village can opt in and get benefits from the LCDS.

  • .The village can have supplementary tourism services such as boat rides or vehicle hires.

 

 

 

THREATS

  • Because of the large influx of travellers there is a high risk of diseases being spread in the community.

  • There is a high risk of the villagers losing their culture because of the advent of money culture.

  • Mining and money taking away the youths

  • Youths not able to continue their education because they looks for jobs at an early age.

  • Because of the close proximity of the village to the road, trafficking in persons can happen.

Development Plans

GENERAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN:

 

Health:

The community has a medical hut that is manned by a Community Health Worker who is resident and a member of the community. The services provided is currently adequate but with the influx of malaria due to mining and the amount of movement of persons via the community it would be better to have a trained and functioning microscopist on location. It would be much better if the IIC can have a resident doctor on location because of the traffic of persons who pass through this location to and from the mines and the also the amount of tourist who visit.

 

Education:

A location for the new Primary school has been defined, on a site located to the north of the access road. However, a distinct move should be made to identify and have local teachers trained to man the school.

Scholarships should be granted to the more academically minded students to attend the secondary school in Annai. Annually, a few students should be sent to attend the Bina hill Institute Youth Learning Centre when they will gain skills in Natural Resource Management and skills for living including in Leadership.

 

Water:

Development planning, as well as any other activities, will respect buffer areas around water bodies, where no activities or disturbances will be allowed. These strips will be 20 m wide for creeks and swamps, and 30 m wide for the Essequibo River. White and black water creeks are often found side by side. A white water creek crosses the road at Three Miles, then flows into Tiger Creek which runs through Fair View, where it merges with black water before emptying into the Essequibo. This creek provides the chief source of drinking water for Fairview. A total of seven (7) sites of functioning shallow water wells near to homesteads have been identified and shown on the map. In the near future these wells will be made to guarantee safe drinking water. Fencing for the area that water crosses the road may also be done to ensure the streams are not contaminated by itinerant road users.

 

 

Infrastructure

Housing

The area allocated for house lots for future urban development comprises approximately 20.669 hectares located adjacent to the airstrip, on the southern side. Mainly an area of fallow agricultural fields (minab), bordered on its southwest side by a protected firewood producing area. Fair View has a high rate of population growth. There is a need to regulate this growth. Some one hundred new immigrants will be allowed within the next years, during the period covered by the Plan. Ideally, the total population should not exceed 500 individuals.

 

Public Buildings

Construction of future public buildings and community areas, such as a new school and business facilities, will take place north of the airstrip, and close or adjacent to the road.

 

.

Multipurpose Centre

The site for the multipurpose centre has been identified and construction of this has begun.

 

Old Mill Site - Reforestation Area and/ or Training Site

The original mill and timber production complex of the JVC had been located on Fair View lands within the Essequibo Compartment but has now been relocated with the agreement of Fair View to an area outside of Fair View territory in the Iwokrama timber harvesting area known as the Kurupukari Compartment. The area of the abandoned mill site has been designated for reforestation and tree planting has already been completed in the said site. In the event that the planned reforestation programme does not succeed, the old mill site will be converted for use as community training centre and relevant infrastructure developed.

 

Communication

With the IIC’s internet system the community has opportunities toaccess communication with the outer world. However, a distinct move should be made to have Radio Pawomak broadcast relayed to the community. This will give them a sense of belonging to the North Rupununi and allow them to get receive educational information.

 

Economic activities:

Fair View Visitor Centre, Restaurant and Craft Shop

Planned business facilities include a Visitor Centre which will serve as the “gateway” to the Iwokrama Forest and North Rupununi Wetlands and which will sensitise visitors and tourists to the rich ecological, cultural and historical values of the area.

It is expected that the Fair View Visitor Centre will be a component of the “Living Heritage Museum” initiative being contemplated in partnership with Iwokrama and NRDDB and the University of Newcastle, UK. Amenities such as a restaurant and shop are also planned. Business operations sites are contemplated to be located near to the main road across from the Iwokrama Ranger Station 1 or between that site and the area around the entry point to the Village through the access road. But a decision for the permanent site of this proposed Visitor Centre has not yet been made and will best be informed with advice from Eco-Tourism specialists.

 

 

Guest House and Wood Working Centre / Craft Kiosk

Ideas for other business related infrastructure such as a Guest House and Woodworking Centre with craft kiosk have been discussed and are slated as viable options for income generation and to boost the developing Fair View eco-tourism venture.

 

Agriculture:

Farming Areas

The large farms and minab area south of Tiger Creek, adjacent to Kuribirocabra Creek, north of the Timber Use Area, have a potential for agricultural expansion, but survey and mapping work need to be done for defining the highland areas, not subjected to flooding.

The minab area on the river, 3.5 km upstream the crossing and close to the Crabwood Conservation Area, will not be utilized for agricultural purposes, in order to maximize the protection to the Crabwood stand nearby.

 

Sustainable Planning and Management of Natural Resources

The Fair View Residential and urban Village Area, with 268 ha, and the Fair View Buffer Zone

Area, which covers 1,535 ha, provide a wide range of resources, including timber and non-timber forest resources, wildlife, and agricultural lands.

 

Buffer Zone

The Buffer Zone Area (1,535 ha) ensures a buffer between the Village proper (urban area, farmlands etc.) and the Net Operable Area (NOA) of the current Fair View – Iwokrama sustainable forestry area, where commercial timber operations take place. This buffer zone is a large forested area, rich in resources, on which the Village has relied for subsistence through the years.

Timber Harvesting in Buffer Zone

Timber harvesting in the Buffer Zone will be kept to a minimum. Tree harvesting in that area will require special permission from the Village Council. Currently, the Village timber supply for household use, homestead improvements and for other urban and village infrastructure including expansion and renovation of public buildings etc. is now coming mainly from the JVC timber harvesting operation which operates outside of the buffer zone.

Monitoring of Buffer Zone

Specific monitoring activities will be implemented by Fair View on the Buffer Zone Area, with emphasis on the observation for signs of timber harvesting and other illegal human activities in this zone. Systematic observations shall be implemented at least every six months in the internal areas of this zone, and random observations shall be implemented more frequently on the border with the Net Operable Area (NOA) of the timber resources and any bordering management units under timber operations.

Village Timber Use Area

A Village Timber Use Area has been designated on the western side of the Buffer Zone Area, west of Kuribirocabra Creek and marked as E on the map. The stand is a mixed forest with several useful timber species. Of special interest to the community are Greenheart, Kabukalli, Wamaradan, Silverballi, Wamara and Wallaba. An inventory needs to be done by the community and this is one of the priority projects to be undertaken and funds raised for its implementation. Any harvesting in the area will follow the GFC Code of Practice (CoP) (GFC, 2002). The timber from this area is for village domestic use and not for commercial purposes.

Silverballi Conservation and Use Area

Very close to that area, to the south west, a Silverballi Conservation and Use Area, shown as G on the Map, will be protected in order to provide timber for boat building. Any cutting will follow the GFC CoP.

Crabwood Conservation Areas

There are two Crabwood Conservation Areas in the Buffer Zone labeled D & F on the Map. One of them runs NE-SW along the swampy area besides the road between miles 2 and 3. The other area is very close to the minab area on the river, 3.5 km upstream the crossing and some 700 m south of Small Malalli Creek. Both are to be used only for the collection of Crabwood seeds, and no trees will be cut. Fair View Management Plan 2009 18

13 (Low carbon wood-chip and sawdust stoves might also be procured on an experimental basis for Fair View villagers to test for acceptability and practicality of sustained use.)

Fuel wood or “firewood” Forest Conservation & Use Areas

Three Forest Reserve areas (labeled A, B and C on the map) will serve as fuel wood / “firewood” resource use areas. The Village has been relying mainly on Mora and Wamara wood for firewood from these areas. Most of the Mora firewood comes from fallen trees. An alternative arrangement has been set in place for the utilisation of Grade C or “waste wood” from the timber milling site operated by Tigerwood Inc. Two locations have been identified for the offloading of this Grade C wood within Fair View Village and off-loading occurs in these sites on alternating basis so as to increase accessibility to the wood for fuel as well as for housing and other urban homestead infrastructure and home improvement. This arrangement allows for the Iwokrama-Tigerwood timber operation to minimise wastage and to afford Fair View an alternative to limit the cutting of its own forest reserves for essential purposes such as fuel wood. This system has resulted in the diminished use of these areas for firewood collection since Grade C or waste wood started to be brought from the milling site. It is likely, therefore, that over the five year period even less dependency on these reserves for fuel wood will be manifested. These areas presently mapped and set aside in Fair View will, however, serve as important forest reserve and resource use areas in both the short and long term.

Protection of Mucru Use Areas & Other Palm Groves

Mucru belongs to the Marantaceae plant family and is used to make traditional implements for processing of cassava such as Matapees, Warashis, Sifters, and Shumbas etc. Nowadays, these originally utilitarian items are also sometimes produced and sold as “craft” items to tourists. Two Mucru Use Areas provide the materials of this plant used to make these products. One of them is an area along the road, the other area is close to the river, some one kilometer upstream the crossing. These areas will be protected to ensure their sustainable provision of raw materials. The same protection will be assigned to the palm groves identified on the Fair View resource map.

Riparian Buffer Zone & Wildlife Corridor

The 60 km strip of riparian forest running alongside the Essequibo River has been designated a protected area by Fair View and will serve as a buffer zone in which no commercial timber harvesting will take place. The riparian buffer zone is 400 m in width and runs adjacent to four of the management units (MUs 1,2,15 and 16) of the Essequibo Compartment timber and is 15264 m in length on the side of the commercial timber area. Alongside the Essequibo River the buffer runs for 16656 m and stops just on the base line of the Wilderness Preserve area. This riparian buffer zone is an important one - established to effectively serve as a protected wildlife corridor. Providing such a corridor will serve to militate against some of the risks to wildlife which may result from the commercial timber operations by securing a protected range for the affected fauna.

Bush Pig Range

South of the Silverballi Conservation and Use Area, bush pigs, an important wildlife resource, are found frequently in the wet season. This has to be taken into account in the case of any activities planned nearby. This range is mapped as a series of broken lines. In the rest of the Buffer Area, most hunting takes place during dry season, generally in area marked as M and also further afield.

Fishing Grounds

The swampy area along the road between miles 2 and 3 allows good fishing at the end of the rainy season. This water body has a potential for improvements aimed at fish rearing and tourism. The Wawa Pond, used for fishing during dry season, also has potential for expansion and improvements aimed at fish rearing and tourism activities.

Traditional Fishing Grounds

There are extensive fishing grounds traditionally used by Fair View residents which naturally extend outside of Fair View’s titled land area. It was agreed that a survey of these fishing grounds be undertaken and a map of same be produced to include Stanley Lake. Concerns were raised at the level of mining operations and mining claims within these traditional fishing grounds. Accessing financial resources to survey and map Fair View’s traditional fishing grounds would be a plan priority.

Laterite (Gravel) Deposits

Three areas of laterite deposits (gravel pits) have been identified, mapped and designated for small scale Village development purposes over the next several decades so as to provide these required mining resources to villagers. These areas are marked H, I and J and are planned to be utilized in that order. They represent the current gravel mining area (H), 20 year reserve (I) and 40 year reserve (J). It is likely that there are several other laterite deposits within Fair View territory. These will be duly mapped when future updates of the resource maps are conducted.

Reforestation Site

Fair View and Iwokrama have carried out a reforestation activity on the former saw mill site and timber production complex of the Joint Venture Company. This abandoned site has been replanted as a reforestation experiment and is reportedly progressing well. This reforested site holds potential for research studies and also as a “forest site” for tourists to showcase a reforestation effort on Fair View lands. This initiative can also serve as an example of environmental and corporate responsibility and a demonstration of joint commitment to sustainable forest management. (The saw mill and timber production complex has now been relocated outside of Fair View lands in the Kurupukari Compartment of the Iwokrama Forest.)

Resources within the Net Operable Area (NOA) for Timber Harvesting

The NOA is that portion of the SUA where commercial timber harvesting is carried out in the Iwokrama Forest. A number of areas within the SUA are excluded from the NOA for different reasons, from community uses to watershed protection, erosion control, recreational value, and other reasons. Within Fair View lands, several areas are excluded from the NOA. The three major portions are the Village residential Area, the Buffer Zone Area and the Riparian Buffer Strip - Wildlife Corridor. Commercial timber harvesting in Fair View may take place in most of the rest of the SUA, on an area encompassing 13,629 hectares and representing 23 forest management units in the Forestry Management Plan (Iwokrama Timber Inc., 2007).

 

Annual Development Plan for 2010-2011

 






Project

Objective

Activities

Timeline

Remarks

Building a craft centre and equipping same

Building a craft center and equipping with the necessary facilities, personnel and equipment to assist with skills training an production.

*Writing proposal for support funding

*Construction of the building

*Training of the youths, women in the village with different skills of making craft.

 

All year

Apart from strengthening cultural continuity there will be opportunities for some members to work in their communities and get a reasonable income. This should keep them from going to the mines with all its adverse implications.

Building a women sewing Centre and equipping it.

Building a Women Sewing centre and equipping with the necessary facilities and promoting women as change agents for community development.

*Writing up a proposal for funding.

*constructing of the building.

*Training of women in project management using the medium of clothes and sleeping nets for the community.

March-December

Women are very good change agents and when they work in group there are opportunities for them to learn and promote healthy changes in their community.

Improving agricultural production in the community

To take steps to allow increased production of agricultural products of local markets .

*Sending two youth to B.H.I for training in agricultural and natural resource management

*increasing the size of farm but avoiding wastage of land..

All year

Community members will signal in writing to the regional administration that they are very interested in participating in agricultural training and activities in the region .

 

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