Latest update April 18th, 2024 12:59 AM
Oct 18, 2010 News
Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Priya Manickchand, during her recent trip to the United States met with two leading professors with a view of promoting local eco-conservation.
She held meetings with Lesley University professors David Morimoto and Mike Schindlinger who are biologists.
The biologists are working toward conservation of tropical forests through education, eco-tourism, and by building social infrastructure among people and institutions with common goals.
They both serve on the Board of Directors of Foster Parrots and the New England Exotic Wildlife Sanctuary.
That organisation provided the seed money and technical training to build the Mapaima Eco-lodge at Nappi Village (Rupununi).
According to the Bradt guide, the eco-lodge is now recognised as one of Guyana’s premier places to encounter wildlife.
The eco-lodge now plays a pivotal role in supporting the village’s ability to create non-extractive income streams from tourism.
They have also been working with Rewa to provide the recently built eco-lodge there with cameras, video-editing computers, solar panels, field books and binoculars.
Morimoto received his PhD from Boston University, and Schindlinger received his PhD from Harvard.
The duo also leads Lesley students to Guyana each year in a course entitled “Field Experiences in Tropical Ecology.”
This is a way to increase students’ global awareness of issues in biodiversity, development, and human ecology across cultures.
Of the 14 students who have taken this course in 2009/2010, two have already returned to Guyana to pursue longer post-graduate science education activities.
Also in development is a three-course undergraduate semester in Guyana, designed as a “fair trade” education.
Students will acquire local knowledge and give back through English Language teaching, using environmental themes.
Their target group will be their host families and interested villagers as well as local educators.
More information about this programme is available at http://guyana.freeparrots.org
One of the students who participated in this programme in 2009, Casey Grenier, subsequently created a blog of photos featuring the beauty of Guyana (http://guyanagrenier.wordpress.com). She shared this blog with Minister Manickchand during the Minister’s meeting with the scientists and students.
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