The Karanambu Trust
Ensuring the sustainable use of the Karanambu wetlands and savanna for all who live there -- fish and fishers, giant otters, lilies, and more.
The Karanambu Trust is a private charity based in Guyana, South America. Our mission is to ensure the sustainable use of the wetlands that surround Karanambu (Car-a-NAM-bo) Lodge, located in the southwestern part of the country.
The Karanambu Lodge website:
http://www.karanambulodge.com/
Our projects include wildlife and habitat conservation, research, and education—all carried out in partnership with the neighboring Amerindian communities.
Karanambu (125-square miles) was once a working cattle ranch. Now it is a popular eco tourist destination. It is also the home of Diane McTurk, conservationist and world-renowned expert on giant otters. A visit to Karanambu Lodge is a true nature adventure: wildlife watching, fishing, walking and close encounters with orphaned Giant Otters. Guests also have the opportunity to meet Trust scientists and educators and learn about their work.
Diane McTurk is the visionary behind the Trust. She has worked tirelessly to promote both conservation and sustainable development in the North Rupununi ever since she raised her first orphaned giant otter cub in 1984. Most were captured illegally by fisherman and kept as pets until their screams for fish grew too loud. Though Diane treasures her waterdogs, as they are called in Guyana, she hopes the activities of the Trust will ultimately put an end to her rehabilitation program. The best place for her beloved beasts is in the wild.
The wetlands of the North Rupununi in southwestern Guyana are extraordinarily beautiful. During the dry season, fish-filled ponds dot the savanna. Birds, Monkeys, and sunbathing Iguanas visit the trees along the Rupununi River while Capybara and Jaguar leave their tracks on the sandbanks. But everything changes when it rains. Small creeks turn into streams, ponds into lakes, and roads into mud. Water moves everywhere, and so do the animals.
There may be over 600 species of fish in the North Rupununi freshwater ecosystem—more than anywhere else on Earth! Indeed, fish are the primary food source for an incredible array of animals, ranging from Hawks and Herons to endangered species like the Giant River Turtle, Black Caiman, Jaguar, Giant Anteater, Scarlet Macaw, Spider Monkey, and Giant Otter. Unfortunately, human activities such as hunting/trapping and habitat destruction threaten their survival.
The high number of animal species at Karanambu reflects high plant diversity as well. The flora of the Rupununi includes plants from both the Amazonian basin and the Guiana shield.
Only a few hundred people live on, or near, Karanambu. Most are Makushi Amerindians who farm small plots of land and fish by canoe or motorboat. Each year, dozens of tourists and adventure travelers visit what is still known as the “hinterland” of Guyana to experience its unique culture.
