® WWF Guianas Highlights 2008 WWF Guianas Sustainable Natural Resources Management Project 2007 - 2011 WWF Guianas Index Protected Areas Management 2 Gold Mining Pollution Abatement 4 Sustainable Forest Management 6 Freshwater Conservation and Management 8 Species Conservation and Management 11 Marine Turtle Conservation 13 Environmental Education and Communications 15 Index Website: www.wwfguianas.org WWF Guianas Foreword WWF Guianas Highlights 2008 WWF Guianas is pleased to share with you a glimpse of its project activities, accomplishments and events for nature conservation and sustainable development in 2008, through the “Highlights 2008”. By reading this document one will be able to gain information on the various activities and areas in which World WildLife Fund has pursued its conservation program in the Guianas. The Guianas is one of the few regions in the world where so much of nature is still in its pristine state and thus offers enormous opportunities for the promotion of sustainable development. The countries are endowed with small multicultural populations that exert little pressure on the region’s natural resources. However, major challenges do exist for the custodians of the region’s socio- cultural and natural patrimony. With the ever increasing international attention on “climate change” and its global effects, greater consideration is slowly being given to the fact that standing forests store significant quantities of carbon. The conservation of such forests is therefore imperative in the fight against global warming and climate change. It is in this context that we in the WWF family firmly support the initiatives of President Jagdeo of Guyana and top level government officials of Suriname in their efforts to get remuneration for their large areas of well managed tropical forests. WWF’s support to the CLI (Country Lead Initiative) meeting held in September 2008 in Paramaribo in Suriname is testimony to our commitment to this just cause. We in the Guianas, as in the case of the net- work, will continue to support the governments of Guyana and Suriname in building capacity so that the expertise needed in the international negotiations on the Climate Change Protocol and the countries can successfully negotiate the desired results. Last year was also important for the development of “sustainable ecotourism” in Suriname, with the official opening of the Berg en Dal ecotourism project. WWF firmly believes in the importance of ecotourism as an instrument for sustainable development in the Guianas and therefore supports vigorously various projects of this kind. Our support for the Tonka Island project in Suriname is another example that truly reflects our belief. In the past WWF Guianas supported government led ecotourism projects, but currently our directional change is towards the ventures taken in the private sector. This is due in part to our recognition of the seriousness of the private sector to develop the ecotourism sector as well as its potential to promote sustainable development in the Guianas. In 2008 there was a major breakthrough in forest conservation in Suriname and Guyana. The first Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certificate for sustainable forest management in Suriname was awarded to Suma Lumber, a medium sized timber company, with a concession of 60,000 ha. Later that year, Guyana achieved a similar distinction when the Iwokrama International Center for Rainforest Conservation and Development was FSC-certified for its total area of 371,000ha. This achievement is particularly rewarding after the unfortunate de-certification of Barama in 2007. In Suriname WWF was made widely visible in the media to a large audience through our investment in an 11-episode television series. In a creative way many themes supported by WWF were portrayed. These included sustainable forestry, ecotourism, marine turtle protection, support to management of protected areas and impacts of gold mining among other issues. Similarly, in Guyana stakeholders were made aware of the many issues through television interviews and news- papers articles that received national coverage. In French Guiana much was done by WWF to create awareness on the devastating effects of illegal gold mining. However, there are still some monumental tasks that we need to address with respect to sustainable development in the Guianas. Poverty is still widespread in the region and nowhere is it more manifest than in the unsustainable use of the natural resources and more specifically through the negative impacts of illegal gold mining in the hinterlands. These impacts affect nature and people, with mercury poisoning progressing slowly throughout the generations. The effects of the seeming indifference of various governments will only be discussed in the future as the symptoms of current casualties are now not visible. Waterways, watersheds and vast areas of land are already polluted and almost useless. French Guiana is by far the most advanced of the 3 Guianas in addressing the problem: since January 2006 there is a ban on the use of mercury and authorities are trying to tackle illegal gold mining in Parc Amazonien and surroundings. WWF Guianas stands willing and indeed fully committed and prepared to support a change of the status quo, but is fully aware that this can only occur if there is an interest and willingness for collaboration among all stakeholders. I sincerely hope that this bird’s eye view of our work in the Guianas provides some understanding of the nature and scope of our work as well as the challenges we face; and that it would simultaneously motivate you to become a willing partner in our conservation efforts as we strive to improve the lives of present and future generations. Please read and enjoy the 2008 edition of our Highlights. Dominiek Plouvier Regional Representative WWF Guianas Website: www.wwfguianas.org Page 1 WWF Guianas Protected Areas Management Management planning and implementation for Kaieteur National Park WWF Guianas is giving much needed financial and technical support to the National Parks Commission and Kaieteur National Park board to enable the management of Kaieteur National Park (KNP). The Kaieteur National Park is the first Protected Area established in Guyana, in the year 1929, and is famous for the majestic Kaieteur Falls, along with valuable minerals, and endemic and rare biodiversity, many yet to be discovered. Since its establishment, Kaieteur National Park has been without an integrated management plan for the entire 1 park. This WWF funded project will extend over a 2 /2 year period an shall provide resources for the develop- ment and initiate implementation of an integrated management strategy for Kaieteur National Park. As part of this support, options for tourism development and other income generation opportunities will be investigated New protected areas map produced by WWF and pursued. Guianas, to be used as a quick reference tool. A vital component of this project is a strong focus on stakeholder participation within all aspects of devel- opment management strategies for the park. It is planned that stakeholders including community members of Chenapou Village, tourism operators, other user groups and regulatory bodies will participate in all levels of the project. The Environmental Protection Agency will play an important role in guiding the management planning process during the project. It is hoped that at the end of the two year period, a well defined strategy will be developed to ensure holistic and effective management of the park, with minimal negative impacts and improved benefits for peoples and communities adjacent to the park. Yolanda Vasconcellos - General Manager, National Parks Commission said: “We are excited for the opportunity we have now secured, a management plan for any protected area is a very essential tool to help management in terms of planning and managing a park or area. This management plan will allow for the examination of the baseline data that has already been obtained and will further allow us to expand our work to the wider park, and set the tone on the way forward.” MARIPA-G a new management tool for protected areas The management of protected areas is easier said than done. Training of personnel and knowing what and how to manage an area, is inevitable. In 2005 a tool, MARIPA-G, to support the management of protected areas in the Guianas was developed by a large group of experts. MARIPA-G stands for Monitoring and Assessment with Relevant Indicators of Protected Areas of the Guianas. It can be used to solve the problems associated with the management of Protected Areas by developing methods to estimate the efficiency of the current management activities, and to take into account results of these evaluations to improve the future management. A section of the gorge at the Kaieteur National Park in Guyana.¶. The evaluation of the efficiency of a protected area management system has to highlight the strengths and the weaknesses of its management. Propose solutions and the actions to be taken to mitigate the weak- nesses while leaning on the strengths. Lastly it must improve the management of the protected area so that it can better support its objectives, conservation, education and awareness, scientific research and so on. MARIPA-G indicators were developed during a series of meetings held in Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana with funding by WWF. The findings were presented at three regional symposia. There the indicators were adapted and improved until the decision was made to test them in an existing protected area, Kaw-Roura Swamps in French Guiana. The experience learned that the tool evolves according to the specific context of a protected area and adaptations can be made for the existing indicators, both in their formulation and scale. In French Guiana, the very first test of the MARIPA-G tool starts in January, 2009 with the Tresor Nature Reserve. Tonka education center Tonka Island is located at the Brokopondo Lake in Suriname and is known for its eco tourism activities.