Description:

This manual gives examples of ways in which tourism operations can work to reduce their negative impacts on wildlife and be a force for positive change. Well managed wildlife-based tourism is a viable alternative to wildlife hunting and wildlife trade, since it can generate more revenues than those activities over a longer period. This kind of tourism elevates and empowers traditional culture and emphasises the intrinsic value of the natural world. Well designed wildlife tourism products encourage people to enjoy and protect animals in the wild and increase the value of wildlife-friendly landscapes. With this in mind, Visit Rupununi has partnered with the Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme in Guyana to design and commit to good practices that will ensure the development of a common vision of wildlife-friendly tourism.

The SWM Programme in Guyana is encouraging coordinated community-driven initiatives that support food security and traditional livelihoods. These will contribute to maintaining healthy fish and terrestrial wildlife populations. It is being implemented by the Guyana Wildlife Conservation and Management Commission in coordination with CIFOR. The SWM Programme is an Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States initiative, which is being funded by the European Union with co-funding from the French Global Environment Facility.  The SWM Programme is being implemented by a dynamic consortium of partners which includes FAO, the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).