Rupununi savannah
Rupununi savannah | |
---|---|
Ecology | |
Biome | Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands |
Geography | |
Area | 13,000[1] km2 (5,000 sq mi) |
Country | Guyana |
State | Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo |
The Rupununi savannah /rʌpəˈnʌni/ is a savanna plain in Guyana, in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo region. It is part of the Guianan savanna ecoregion of the tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome.[2]
Description
The Rupununi Savannah is located between the
Biodiversity
The savannah is divided north from south, by the
Population
The Rupununi is the home of the Wapishana, Macushi, Wai-Wai and Patamona peoples.[6] In 2012, the population of Amerindians in the Rupununi was estimated at 20,808 people.[7] The Wapishana live mainly in the south savannah, the Macushi in the north. Some 200 Wai-Wai live in near isolation in Kanashen, the remote southeastern region bordering Brazil virtually untouched by modern life.[8]
The major occupations or industries in the Rupununi Savannah are
There are Amerindian villages dotted throughout the Rupununi Savannah, as well as many ranches worked by
In 1969 some ranchers started what has been referred to as the
Ecotourism
The Rupununi region caters towards ecotourists. It is designated a "protected area" by the government of Guyana, housing some 80% of the mammals and 60% of the bird life found in Guyana’s tropical forests and savannahs. Several Lodges welcome guests, for example Dadanawa Ranch or Karanambu ranch.[11]
The Rupununi is accessible by small aircraft and helicopter flights regularly available from Guyana’s capital Georgetown on the Atlantic coast. In the dry season it is accessible by an unpaved "all-weather" road using trucks or 4x4 vehicles. It takes about 48 hours of tough driving. Heavy flooding makes this drive unpredictable and dangerous in the rainy season during the months of April to June.[2]
References
- ^ Mark B. Robbins. "AVIFAUNA OF THE GUYANA SOUTHERN RUPUNUNI, WITH COMPARISONS TO OTHER SAVANNAS OF NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA" (PDF). Neotropical Ornithological Society. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
- ^ a b c The Rupununi Savannahs: An Eco-Tourist's Dream
- ^ Charles Waterton, Wanderings in South America, Cassell & Co, Ltd: London, Paris & Melbourne. 1891.
- ^ Humboldt, Alexander von, Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of America During the Years 1799-1804, (chapter 25). Henry G. Bohn, London, 1853.
- ISBN 0984168648.
- ^ Rupununi people
- ^ Elton Bollers. "Guyana's Indigenous Peoples 2014 Survey" (PDF). Inter American Development Bank. p. 4.
- ^ "2012 Population by Village". Statistics Guyana. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
- ^ Donald Charles Taphorn (2016). "Biodiversity of the Southern Rupununi Savannah". World Wildlife Fund & Global Wildlife Conservation.
- ISBN 1493126547
- ^ Guyana’s Rupununi Land of Nature, Authentic Culture, and Adventure