The Smithsonian Institution, which is celebrating 20 years of working in Guyana, last week reviewed the work and many publications of research done here and in other parts of the Guiana Shield.
The presentation was the latest in a series of science lectures put on by the United States Embassy in Georgetown. It was held in the Rupununi Room of the Hotel Tower.
Vicky Funk of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History recalled the early days of collaboration between the Museum and the University of Guyana in 1985, leading to the establishment of the Centre for the Study of Biological Diversity at the university. She recalled that Dr George Walcott headed UG at the time.
She said that since then the relationship between the two institutions has evolved and has lead to much further collaboration. There have been training in the fields, short instruction at UG, internships and short-term jobs for students, opportunities for interactions with scientists from around the world, Amerindian training courses, data-basing experience and assistance in gaining admittance to graduate school.
Turning to the work of the Smithsonian in the Guiana Shield, properly called the Biological Diversity of the Guiana Shield (BDG), Funk explained that flora and fauna are useful for identifying organisms. “They are a source of pride for the areas they cover and useful for environmental studies and good public relations,” she said.
But she said that they can be much more. “They can be used to answer questions about evolution and biodiversity,” she said. The Guiana Shield encompasses most of Guyana, Suriname and French Guyana, northern Brazil, a tiny fraction of Colombia and the eastern portion of Venezuela. The Guiana Shield is one of the most resplendent parts of the world when it comes to biodiversity and numerous species of flora and fauna can be found there.
According to the Smithsonian, over 70 per cent of biodiversity in the Guiana Shield remains in a pristine state.
The Smithsonian said on its website that in the future the BDG hopes to further expand its fieldwork and investigations of historical collections to the entire Guiana Shield area. “This comprises an essentially discrete floristic and faunistic province, and therefore the data collected can be more readily used for evolutionary studies,” the website said.
Funk said there exists a wealth of floral and faunal information “and we need to make better use of these data for scientific and conservation purposes.”
The Smithsonian website said the BDG recently produced a list of all known plants of Kaieteur National Park for use by those visiting the park or seeking to conserve the park area.
The National Museum of Natural History has published a number of books and research papers from the work of the Smithsonian in the Guiana Shield over the years. Some of these were on display during the lecture.
