Hello again Ladies and Gentlemen!I had a fantastic time out on the lost world project and learnt a few things about the conservation issues surrounding the mountain.
First thing- The Lost World isn't lost anymore!
Tourism is a big part of the local economy and over three thousand people climb Roraima every year. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. With the Venezuelan economy struggling at the moment tourism brings much needed commerce to the area. However at present the
infrastructure needed to manage this tourism is incomplete.
Second thing- Saving the Lost World is not rocket science.
There are several things which are relatively easy and will help conserve the area.
1) Build latrines at the campsites on the trekking route.
I mean seriously! How has this not been done yet?!?! Will 3000 people climbing Roraima every year latrines are a fairly obvious and essential piece of infrastructure that as yet has not been put in place. It's relatively cheap and simple and would make a world of difference. We climbed Roraima at the low season and let's just say things were unpleasant...
2) Tourists bring litter. If you go and visit (and I think it's a great place to go and see) then please, bring your litter back down with you.
This has been a huge problem, but recent litter drives have helped to improve the situation. These have tended to be organised by individuals on an ad-hock basis. With a little funding this could be made a regular thing, but better still people could simply just not litter! Like I said. id you go, take your litter with you! (Or feel the wrath of a vexed gentleman...)
3) Tourists bring other things too...
There are a number of non-native plants that have been introduced near the "hotels" on Roraima. The typical ecosystem of the mountain is one of thirty million years ago and is very
delicate. If allowed to take hold the introduced new species could displace the unique wildlife on the plateau... and this would be pretty rubbish.
A simple expedition with some trained botanists could help remove these non native species whilst leaving the endemic wildlife. However Venezuelans do not like outsiders telling them what to do and the local Pemon Indians do not like people destroying the plant life, and as yet most of them can't tell the difference between native and introduced plant life.
Third Thing- The mountain spans three countries and as such things are politically... interesting.
The route up is in Venezuela, but the mountain is the triple border point with Brazil and Guyana. Venezuela currently disputes the Schomburg line which marks the border with Guyana and believes that it should own half of Guyana. Not only this, but the Venezuelan government gave the land in the area to the local Pemon people sometime ago so the area is now officially their land. This means the Venezuelan government tends not to get involved with the area as it sees it at the local peoples responsibility. Couple this with the Venezuelans dislike of foreigners telling them what to do and you have a situation that is pretty difficult.
In all honesty I'm not sure how best to move things forwards, but it probably involves some kind of education and outreach plan with the local people and tribal elders. UNESCO also has plans for a tri-national park covering the area and this could be a good way of getting all three governments to work together to protect the area.
So,
Whilst the political situation is a little tricky there are some very simple things that would make a huge difference. So if you thought of donating to the project but didn't quite find the time then you can still donate at
Finally I'd just like to say a huge thankyou to you all!
The support I've received from you guys has been phenomenal! There have been loads of donations, and no small amount from people I have never met. If you are one of those people and you're ever in Gloucestershire (or even the UK!) then do let me know as I'd love to buy you a drink.
A few quick shout outs- First http://conserveme.org/ is a conservation and science engagement business set up by the lovely Shelley Rowley, a fellow LWP participant. Secondly Ibex Earth do check out their facebook page as they will have more photos and information about the project.
There will still be updates about the documentary (look out for a slot on the BBC in december called "A Decade of Discovery"), more photos, footage I shot, and other things. But the main mission is done and I thankyou all for the parts you played in getting me there.
Alistair
No comments:
Post a Comment