The Kanuku Mountains are a group of mountains in

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

, located in the

Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Upper Takutu-Upper Esequibo (Region 9) is a region of Guyana. Venezuela claims the territory as part of Bolívar (state) in Esequiban Guyana. It borders the region of Potaro-Siparuni to the north, the region of East Berbice-Corentyne to the ea ...

region. The name means 'forest' in the Wapishana language, a reference to the rich diversity of wildlife found there. The Eastern Kanuku Mountains and the Western Kanuku Mountains are separated by the

Rupununi River The Rupununi is a region in the south-west of Guyana, bordering the Brazilian Amazon. The Rupununi river, also known by the local indigenous peoples as ''Raponani'', flows through the Rupununi region. The name Rupununi originates from the word '' ...

. In 2011, the mountains were designated National Protected Area.

History

The lowland forests sustain 53% of all the known

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

species in Guyana, and about 70% of all mammals found in Guyana, live in the Kanuku Mountains. Prominent species include the Giant otter, the Harpy eagle and the Arapaima. The highest peak of the Kanuku Mountains rises to 1,067 metres while the savannah area varies between 120 and 150 metres. In 2010, concern for the fate of the wildlife of the Kanuku Mountains was raised by the completion of the

Takutu River Bridge The Takutu River Bridge ( pt, Ponte do Rio Tacutu) is a bridge across the Takutu River, linking Lethem in Guyana to Bonfim in Brazil. It was completed in 2009 and opened on 31 July 2009. Its official inauguration was on 14 September 2009, in th ...

and matching road system linking coastal Guyana with the interior and the Brazilian frontier. The road passes close to the Kanukus and is a potential source of unsustainable resource exploitation. In 2011, the mainly uninhabited area was protected, and designated a National Protected Area. It is being maintained by the Kanuku Mountains Project. The conservation area measures . The area around the mountains is inhabited by the Macushi and Wapishana people in 21 communities who use the resources of mountains for their subsistence living.

References

Bibliography

* {{authority control Guayana Highlands Mountain ranges of Guyana National parks of Guyana Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Protected areas of Guyana

History

See also

References

Bibliography