Kaieteur National Park

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Kaieteur National Park
Kaieteur Falls Guyana (2) 2007.jpg
Kaieteur Falls in the Kaieteur National Park
Location Potaro-Siparuni Region of Guyana
Coordinates 5°13′N59°25′W / 5.217°N 59.417°W / 5.217; -59.417
Area242 sq mi (630 km2)
Established1929
Governing body Protected Areas Trust
An Anomaloglossus beebei frog in the Kaieteur National Park Golden frog Kaieteur (2).jpg
An Anomaloglossus beebei frog in the Kaieteur National Park

Kaieteur National Park is a national park located in the Potaro-Siparuni Region of Guyana. The Park's boundaries and purpose are defined in the Kaieteur National Park Act, and was created to preserve the natural scenery (including Kaieteur Falls), and its fauna and flora. There are organisms that are unique to this park and cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Of these organisms include the Anomaloglossus beebei, which is a frog that only inhabits the Brocchinia micrantha within this park and no where else in the world. The Act is administered by the Kaieteur National Park Commission.

Contents

It is usually considered the country's only national park, [1] [2] as the capital's National Park is a not a wilderness reserve.

The top tourist attraction in the park is the Kaieteur Falls, considered the largest single drop waterfall based on the volume of water. [3]

Orinduik Falls is a series of cascading waterfalls in the National Park. There is a swimming hole at these falls that is commonly used by tourists. [3]

The park is in the Guianan moist forests ecoregion. [4] It is served by Kaieteur International Airport, which is at Kaieteur Falls.

There are a number of small tribes of Amerindian people, those that have lived in the Amazon forest for thousands of years. [3]

Boundaries

Original boundaries: Commencing at a point on the left bank of the Potaro River, 200 feet (61 m) below the Tukeit Rest House Compound, then along the trail to the Korume Creek, then up the Korume Creek to its source, then to and including Menzies landing on the left bank of the Potaro River, then across the Potaro River to its right bank, then inland for a 0.25 miles (400 m), then downwards and parallel to the right bank of the Potaro River to an unnamed tributary about 300 feet (91 m) below the foot of Tukeit Falls, then down the left bank of that tributary to the Potaro River, then to the point of origin.

In 1999 the park's area was increased from 5 square miles (10 km2) to 242 square miles (630 km2) by a Presidential Order.

Mining

In 2017, two dozen villagers from the Chenapau community were arrested for illegal mining within the Kaieteur National Park boundaries but were later released without any charges. [5]

In November 2023, villagers were again accused of illegal mining within the park boundaries, which led to a protest by the villagers voicing their need to mine as a main source of income. The Chief Warden and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) ordered the protesters to leave or face consequences. The villagers claimed to be mining in a buffer zone that was marked as land to be used for mining in accordance with the Amerindian Act. [5]

Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat claimed that the GGMC will help the villagers find another area to mine that does not include boundaries within the National Park. [5]

Related Research Articles

The Geography of Guyana comprises the physical characteristics of the country in Northern South America and part of Caribbean South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Suriname and Venezuela, with a land area of approximately 214,969 square km. The country is situated between 1 and 9 north latitude and between 56 and 62 west longitude. With a 459 km (285 mi)-long Atlantic coastline on the northeast, Guyana is bounded by Venezuela on the west, Brazil on the west and south, and Suriname on the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Essequibo River</span> Major river in Guyana

The Essequibo River is the largest river in Guyana, and the largest river between the Orinoco and Amazon. Rising in the Acarai Mountains near the Brazil–Guyana border, the Essequibo flows to the north for 1,014 km (630 mi) through forest and savanna into the Atlantic Ocean. It has a total drainage basin of 156,828 km2 (60,552 sq mi) and an average discharge of 5,650 m3/s (200,000 cu ft/s).

Matthews Ridge is a small village within the Barima-Waini administrative region of Guyana. The village name comes from the name of a public official, Matthew Young, as well as the ridges in the area. The village is divided into three sections, Heaven's Hill, Hell Hill and the valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaieteur Falls</span> Waterfall on the Potaro River in Potaro-Siparuni region, Guyana

Kaieteur Falls is a single-drop waterfall on the Potaro River in Kaieteur National Park, central Essequibo Territory, Guyana. It is 226 metres (741 ft) high when measured from its plunge over a sandstone and conglomerate cliff to the first break. It then flows over a series of steep cascades that, when included in the measurements, bring the total height to 251 metres (822 ft). While many falls have greater height, few have the combination of height and water volume, and Kaieteur is among the most powerful waterfalls in the world with an average flow rate of 663 cubic metres per second. Kaieteur Falls is about four and a half times the height of Niagara Falls, on the border between Canada and the United States, and about twice the height of Victoria Falls, on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe in Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potaro-Siparuni</span> Region of Guyana

Potaro-Siparuni is a region of Guyana. It borders the region of Cuyuni-Mazaruni to the north, the regions of Upper Demerara-Berbice and East Berbice-Corentyne to the east, the region of Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo to the south and Brazil to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potaro River</span> River in Guyana

The Potaro River is a river in Guyana that runs from Mount Ayanganna area of the Pakaraima Mountains for approximately 255 km (158 mi) before flowing into the Essequibo River, Guyana's largest river. The renowned Kaieteur Falls is on the Potaro.

The Siparuni River is a river in the Potaro-Siparuni Region of Guyana. It is a tributary of the Essequibo River. Tributaries of the Siparuni River include the Takutu River, Burro-Burro River, Tipuru River and Levai Creek.

The Konawaruk River is a river in Potaro-Siparuni, Guyana. About 60 miles long, it is a tributary of the Essequibo River, joining it just south of the Potaro River mouth at 5°18′N58°55′W.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orinduik Falls</span> Waterfalls on the Grazil-Guyana border

The Orinduik Falls lie on the Ireng River, a highland river that thunders over steps and terraces of red jasper on the border of Guyana and Brazil before merging with the Takutu River and into Brazil to join the Amazon River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahdia, Guyana</span> Town and regional capital in Potaro-Siparuni, Guyana

Mahdia is a town in Guyana, located near the centre of the country at an altitude of 415 m (1,362 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tumatumari Landing</span> Village in Potaro-Siparuni, Guyana

Tumatumari Landing is a small community in the Potaro-Siparuni Region of Guyana, across the Potaro River from Tumatumari, near the Konawaruk Road, and to the east of El Paso.

Micobie is a village in Potaro-Siparuni, Guyana, on the right bank of the Potaro River near Tumatumari.

Amaila Falls is located on the Kuribrong River, a tributary of the Potaro River in west central Guyana.

Jean La Rose is an Arawak environmentalist and indigenous rights activist in Guyana. She was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2002 for her work to halt mining in their territories, to secure inhabitants full rights to traditional lands, and to save Guyana's forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Mary's Wilderness</span>

Saint Mary's Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. The wilderness area is located next to the Blue Ridge Parkway near the Parkway's northern terminus and consists of 9,826 acres (39.76 km2). Saint Mary's Wilderness is the largest Virginia Wilderness on national forest land. Saint Mary's Wilderness ranges in elevation from about 1,780 feet (543 m) to 3,640 feet (1,109 m). The area has about 14 miles (23 km) of hiking trails within or near its boundaries.

The Ekareku River is a river of Guyana, a tributary of the Wenamu River.

The Arnik River is a river of Guyana, a tributary of the Potaro River.

St. Cuthbert's Mission is an Amerindian village on the Mahaica River in the Demerara-Mahaica region of Guyana. It comprises approximately 200 households. St. Cuthbert's is regarded by many people in Guyana as the "cultural capital" for Amerindians.

Issano is a village of Cuyuni-Mazaruni, Guyana. It's located along the Mazaruni River, and is a hub for mining.

Isseneru is an Amerindian settlement in the Cuyuni-Mazaruni region of Guyana, approximately 15–20 miles west of Kurupung.

References

  1. ↑ BBC Wildlife Magazine. Vol. 26. BBC. 2008. p. 86. It is also Guyana's only national park
  2. ↑ Global Biodiversity. Vol. 3–4. The Museum. 1993. pp. 10–11. Kaieteur National Park remains the only national park and the only legally protected biological area in Guyana.
  3. 1 2 3 "Kaieteur National Park". national-parks.org. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  4. ↑ Schipper, Jan; Teunissen, Pieter; Lim, Burton, Northern South America: Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, northern Brazil, and eastern Venezuela (NT0125) , retrieved 2017-04-03
  5. 1 2 3 "Chenapau villagers to be allocated other mining areas". Stabroek News. 2023-11-20. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
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