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LOCATION
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GUIANA SHIELD & KAIETEUR NATIONAL PARK
Kaieteur National Park occupies a prominent position in the center of the Guyana Shield.
The Guiana Highlands or Guiana Shield being roughly 2 billion years old is the earth's oldest surface. Located in north-eastern
South America, it includes a large mountain plateau and rainforest system that is part of a vast watershed between the Amazon
and the Orinoco rivers. Specifically, it covers 75,000 square kilometers (30, 000 square miles) and is bounded roughly by the
Amazon River to the South and the Japurá-Caqueta River to the southwest, the Sierra de Chiribiquete Mountains to the West, the
Orinoco and Guaviare Rivers to the northwest and the north, and the Atlantic to the East.
One feature of the Shield is its distinctive plateaus or table-top mountains, called tepuis by the Indians. These are the
remnants of the sandstone sediments that covered the metamorphic rocks of the area, and were created by erosion over 200
million years ago. The majority of these mountains range from 2000 (6,500 feet) to 2700 meters (8,800 feet), Roraima is the tallest
of all, at 2810 meters (9,219'). This area contains an estimated 20,000 different vascular plant species of which 35 % are
endemic, making it one of three richest tropical wilderness areas on Earth. It also has the lowest human population density
of any tropical rainforest region, consisting mainly of Amerindian cultures, making it one of the few places on Earth where
all options for conservation are available.
Kaieteur National Park is located in the heart of the Guiana Shield, in the Pakaraima Mountain region.
This area is composed mainly of plateaus and steep sloped escarpments, and is noted for its many of
rivers and waterfalls which drop off the edges of the escarpment. Kaieteur Falls is located on the Potaro River,
and possess the typical characteristics of the Shield - its biological, cultural and natural diversity. This majestic wonder, the
centerpiece of the Park, proudly boasts being one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world. It is located where the Roraima formation gives way to the lowlands and drops 226 m (741 ft) to splash to a basin below; thereafter to travel some 32 km through a deep gorge before leaving the escarpment behind.
Mount Roraima
 National Geographic Magazine's description of Mount Roraima is There's a place in the world
that's so remote, few have ever been there, and though you may be able to locate it on the map, that doesn't mean you'll find it.
On a map, Roraima's flat plateau (measuring 13 mi2 or 34 km2) is easily found as it lies on the so-called triple point where Guyana,  Brazil and Venezuela converge. On the ground it is more difficult, with a trek to the base of the mountain and thereafter a climb to
the plateau summit. Like Kaieteur, the view from the top of Mount Roraima is spectacular. At the top, there are labyrinthine waterfalls, crystal pools, rock formations surrounded by small lakes, wild orchids, small beaches on the edge of canyon rivers, and the so-called Valley of Crystal.
WEATHER
Type: Tropical Rainforest
Dry Season: (February-March & August-November)
Wet Seasons: (May-July & December-January)
Annual Rainfall: 2800mm
The driest month: October 147mm
The wettest month: June 645mm
The lowest mean temperature: 19.6º C (January)
The highest mean temperature: 30.7º C (October)
HISTORY
Kaieteur has not changed significantly from when it was seen by the European explorer, Barrington Browne in 1870. The
outstanding natural value of the area was recognized by the British Colonial Administration who in 1929 designated an area of
the Potaro River, including Kaieteur Falls as a National Park covering 45 square miles with the principal purpose of preserving
the natural scenery and the fauna and flora of the area. At that time, it represented one of the first conservation efforts within
the Latin America and Caribbean.
PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
Over the years, Kaieteur Park has been subject to competing interests for its rich natural wealth. The Park was downsized in the 1970's
to facilitate mining in the area, and then expanded in the 1990's to protect the watershed and the integrity of the area from that very
same mining. Today, Kaieteur Park covers an area of 224 square miles, or approximately 62,700 hectares.
The planning and management of Kaieteur presents both a challenge and an opportunity. A challenge to balance competing interests of
conservation, mineral extraction and tourism and an opportunity to demonstrate that Kaieteur can realize its potential as a
nature-tourism destination in a sustainable fashion.
The work of the Kaieteur Board and National Parks Commission to oversee and effect the planning, management and development
of Kaieteur National Park has been guided by a number of studies, plans and proposals. Principal among them have been
Guyana's National Development Strategy, National Biodiversity Action Plan, Kaieteur National Park Master Plan, proposals for
tourism development by the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Kaieteur's inclusion with Guyana's Strategy for a
National Protected Areas System and a number of other sector interest driven proposals.
While operational challenges of limited staff, insufficient funding, inadequate infrastructure, and the need for training and
capacity building prevail, the most critical challenge has been the absence of a comprehensive framework for management planning
and a Park Management Plan. This is essential in providing the basis for achieving that balance between conservation and development
and to provide the operational framework to implement compatible but divergent sector interests while maintaining the integrity of the
Park's resources. More importantly it is needed to facilitate the fostering and strengthening of stakeholder relations at all levels
of the Park's management.
There are many issues to be resolved, but at the same time there are many opportunities to be explored, since in spite of its prominence
much of Kaieteur Park remains undiscovered.
THE LEGEND OF KAIETEUR
The name of the fall commemorates Chief Kai, one of the distinguished chieftains (known also as Toshaos) of the once powerful Patamona
tribe. He committed self-sacrifice by canoeing over the falls in order that Makonaima, the Great Spirit, would be appeased and to save
his tribe from being destroyed by a raiding party of savage Caribs. "Teur" translates as "falls"- hence the name Kaieteur. Folklore has
it that the old man and his "wood skin" canoe were turned to stone and now form part of the rocks of Kaieteur. Perhaps he won
appeasement, for his name still marks the magical curtain of water known as Kaieteur.
The legend of the falls has been celebrated by generations of poets, writers, painters and musicians-most memorably in the "The legend
of Kaieteur", a Choral Fantasy by the Guyanese composer Philip Pilgrim (1917-1944) set to the words of a children's epic poem by Arthur
Seymour.
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