A partial view of the forest

BY Staff
Published: August 27, 2008 in Editorial

The Lost Land of the Jaguar, a three-part BBC documentary broadcast earlier this month, should be required viewing for any Guyanese who have not yet visited the interior. Although it is equal parts reality television and wildlife programme – recording the quirks of a small team of British naturalists as carefully as the landscape they explore – the series nevertheless makes a strong case for the preservation of Guyana’s remarkable biodiversity. For those of us who are accustomed to thinking of Guyana in terms of our relatively small and unremarkable towns and cities, the non-human drama of the rain forest will come as a welcome surprise.

There seems to be no end of serendipity if you go far enough into the bush. Early on, after a foolhardy descent into the Kaieteur gorge, a shivering Englishman rhapsodises about the various frogs he has stumbled across in the freezing mist below the falls. The camera pans in close on a grape-sized rocket-frog in its bromeliad home, then on to the tadpole-studded skin of another frog that will carry her young to maturity nestled atop her back. Elsewhere, there are close encounters with giant otters, a harpy eagle, a man-sized black caiman and a Frisbee-sized tarantula. In the Rupununi there is a great horror-movie moment in which the camera reveals a cave full of shrieking vampire bats, and some charmingly surreal footage of a giant anteater nosing around the savannah.

What is most remarkable, however, is the way to forest seems to revert to an earlier era as the explorers move further away from the coast. In one especially remote area, they come across a stretch of river where the fish are so abundant that they can be scooped up by the handful as they jump through the air.

Inexplicably, very few Guyanese appear on-screen. When they do, they are mostly background characters, acting as guides, driving boats, or cooking. This tends to create the impression that if it were not for the good work of these benevolent outsiders most of us would willingly sell off our pristine interior for the chance to overcome our chronic underdevelopment. (A voiceover explains, more than once, that Guyana is a poor country, in dire need of the easy cash that miners and timber companies could pay for the forest.)
The series does end with the expedition reporting to President Jagdeo, and a brief mention of his plan for Guyana to preserve the forest if properly paid to do so. But there is no discussion of what the public at large feels about the matter. That is a pity, for most of our apparent apathy stems from ignorance – only a tiny fraction of Guyanese have more than a passing knowledge of the interior. It is easy to feel indifferent towards a wilderness you have never seen firsthand and probably never will. Ironically, nature programmes like The Lost Land of the Jaguar are probably the best antidote to this indifference, but since we are rarely part of their intended audience their impact here is minimal. Until that changes, allowing more of us to feel we have a stake in the interior, the political will necessary to preserve our rain forest is not likely to improve.

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15 Comments

Satish says:

August 27, 2008 at 6:15 am

This is a very well balanced comment on the Lost Land of the Jaguar programmes.
I managed to get Stabroek News to feature the weblink for the first of the three programmes but SN moderators refused to print the weblinks for the other two programs citing (mysterious) copyright issues.

The writer comments that very few Guyanese appear on-screen and I would concur with this. I guessed that the main thrust of the film did not concern the Guyanese citizens but the natural beauty of the forests.
Too many ‘natives’ in the shots anyway, might have given the wrong impression?
Additionally I feel that the BBC crew may have wanted to present themselves to the British public as RAIDERS OF THE LAST ARK style heroes. The film crew did indeed exhibit much bravery and the film was a rare pleasure to watch.

A very pretty/photogenic female Guyanese botanist did feature and she did a very good job too!

I have made DVD recordings of the three programs and we will be distributing these to Guyanese schools as our ongoing Guyanese schools adoption program.

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- kathybehonest says:
  
  August 31, 2008 at 7:27 pm
  
  Satish , I will be very interested in receiving all three of the programs. I will try to get my address to Stabroek News, could you mail me the programs for NTSC? Please, Please. Please. Thanks in advance.
Roger says:

August 27, 2008 at 3:44 pm

I saw parts One and Two of the documentary’s on television. I would like to know where can I purchase all 3 parts?

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- Satish says:
  
  August 28, 2008 at 6:18 am
  
  Don’t know about purchasing all three parts Roger but if you email the moderators with your POSTAL address and they email that on to me, then I will sent you the three dvd free of charge.
  Please say what format you like..
  PAL - I can send to you quickly.
  NTSC - I will have to convert so will take a little longer.
DAN says:

August 28, 2008 at 6:47 am

Conratulations to our President Mr Bharat Jagdeo for bringing to the world Guyana’s ability to play its role on the world stage, through the secrets of its Rainforest. Guyana Rainforest also offer the world the opportunity to cleanse its self.

The BBC did true justice to Guyana, even though it was only the tip of the iceberg that was broadcasted. WE WANT MORE!

Thank you to all those Guyanese abroad that support their families back home. This support have in some ways stop our kinfolk from eroding the forest. However Guyana has the problem of how to stop the cross border and corporate raiders.

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Patrickofllynyfan says:

August 28, 2008 at 2:37 pm

To me THE LOST LAND OF THE JAGUAR was a view entirely from a European perspective. No mention whatever of the economic interests of the people of the forest — the Amerindians or the porknockers. The idiot dangling from a rope beside Kaiteur falls was plain dishonest —- if he had broken his leg a helicopter would have come to pick him up in no time, and the spray mist is not ‘freezing’ —-if you want to know what freezing spray feels like come to my country –Wales- in winter when the mountain waterfalls really are freezing! You could see from the kitchen shots ho the BBC crew were provisioned — no eating labba or drinking creek water for them! They won’t be back.

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- kathybehonest says:
  
  August 31, 2008 at 7:43 pm
  
  Guyanese show so little pride in our country. Guyana is a beautiful land waiting for us to give it someTLC. If Guyanese do not appreciate what we have, we should not complain when foreigners begin to take from us what we do not want.
  
  I was happy to read of Van West Charles decision to become active in the affairs of his homeland and hope this will be a positive move, taking his experiences in the developed nations ,to the betterment of The Dear Land
  
  There are hundreds of Guyanese oversees who are totally alienated from the land of their birth, but there are thousands who just need to be encouraged to become involved in the development of their homeland. The Guyanese cultural activities during Carifesta seem to be efforts with which we could be proud. CONGRATS! fellow Guyanese. I see HOPE for Guyana.
Popeth says:

August 29, 2008 at 1:03 pm

Roger,
you can see the final part of the series on BBC iplayer at this location: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/jaguar/.
However, it is only there for another 2 days, and you also need a decent download speed to watch it.

If this doesn’t work out for you, contact the BBC and enquire about getting a copy. I caught the 3 on VHS, but will probably contact them for a download version myself.

That link has some nice stuff on it actually.

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CANTBDEAR says:

August 30, 2008 at 11:21 am

Moderator,

Please ask Satish to kindly e-mail ne the links for all three parts of ” the Lost Land of the Jaguar”

My e-mail address is

washeyp@gmail.com

thank you.
CANTBDEAR (WILLIAM)

Reply
- Satish says:
  
  August 30, 2008 at 5:12 pm
  
  I am pleased to get back to you on this and will contact you direct by email.
  Regards
Popeth says:

September 1, 2008 at 6:08 pm

Next Monday, 8th September, the BBC’s investigative programme “Panorama” will be screening an examination into the big idea ie international compensation to Brazil and Guyana for protecting rainforest.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00dhtvg

We’ve tried pushing this for the last two years, and sincerely hope that the right formula can be developed to help both Guyana, and the world. If there were ever a “mutial coincidence of needs”, then this is it.

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Satish says:

September 2, 2008 at 12:08 am

gharewood@cxc.com: Please note that my email I sent to your was returned as undelivered. Perhaps you could provide and alternative email address.
Kind Regards

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dr know says:

September 4, 2008 at 7:12 am

I loved the programme “Lost land of the Jaguar” however I didn’t like the title of the programme. Guyana is not a lost land or when referring to the illusive Jaguar. Protecting Guyana rain forest is paramount to our existence and the wider world. It is as they say the lungs of the wider world. They may say we are a economically poor country, but we are very rich environmentally and the naturalness of our country and I don’t want to see our country spoil with foreigners exploitation after seeing the programme. I beg our government, when negotiating to keep our rain forest instead of logging not to compromise it for financial gain or conditions which may be attached to the revenue. This continent in which Guyana lies is focus of the world’s attention as the eco- conscious people look to explore further. We must not get carried away the attention Guyana is getting otherwise our unspoilt land would be no more

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Nick says:

August 31, 2008 at 8:48 pm

I’d be very interested in getting the DVDs (NTSC) if you can supply. My email address is gharewood@cxc.com. Please contact me for mailing details if this is possible

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Satish says:

September 1, 2008 at 7:43 am

Happy to oblige Kathy.
I like your other comment posted on this discussion thread.
I will wait to hear from the SN people.
Kind Regards

Reply