Most of the discourse about the Amazonian environment has focused upon the rainforests. It is often forgotten that the Amazonian region possesses extensive savannah lands, with their own unique populations and ecosystems. In this programme,we will travel to the Rupununi Savannahs of south-western Guyana, which are contiguous with the Gran Sabana of Venezuela and the savannahs of Roraima State in Brazil.

One of the major points of contention over the past few years has been the construction of the Georgetown-Brazil road. This road was designed to follow the forested Essequibo-Demerara watershed down to the savannahs, crossing the Rupununi district en route to Lethem (the capital town of the Rupununi). From there, the Brazilian road network connecting Manaus and Bôa Vista, and ultimately the Pan American highway,would be just across the Takutu River. The building of this road attracted a great deal of concern and criticism from environmental groups at home and abroad. Critics have charged that the road will usher in an influx of drug traffickers, miners and prostitutes. Meanwhile, many residents have countered that the road, by allowing land access to Georgetown and Bôa Vista, will reduce to price of consumer goods in the area.

The Rupununi Savannahs are home to a population of Macuxi and Wapixana Amerindians, Guyanese of Creole descent and Brazilians. For much of this century, the savannahs have been an important cattle ranching area: indeed, this was the initial appeal for early European settlers such as Hart, Melville and McTurk. Over the last several decades, cattle ranching has grown beyond a mere source of livelihood, into a unique cultural form. Today, the ranching industry is waning: ranchers have learned belatedly that the savannah grass is too poor to support large herds indefinitely. Many ranchers are turning to eco-tourism and occasional gold mining as alternatives. Marudi Mountain, in the south, is an important gold mining site.