Ethnoecology, Resource Use, Conservation and Development
in a Wapishana Community in Southwestern Guyana.

Doctoral thesis submitted by Thomas Henfrey
to the Department of Anthropology,
University of Kent at Canterbury
in March 2002

This thesis is based upon two years' fieldwork in Guyana, and provides accounts of cultural ecology and relevant aspects of symbolism among Wapishana people. This provides the context for an evaluation of the ethnoecological knowledge of Wapishana hunters. Ethnoecological data on particular animal species is compared with data in the ecological literature. Discussion focusses on the implications of the results for the use of ethnoecology as a methodology for enhancing ecological research and empowering indigenous communities in relation to outsiders interested in the conservation of their biological resources.

• Thesis Abstract
• Summary of thesis
• Full thesis in PDF format (2.1MB)