Academic literature on the topic 'Guyana'

This thesis presents a case study of small state diplomacy. It investigates the international approaches of Guyana from 1966 to 1992, to the territorial controversy with Venezuela. The Anglo-Venezuelan dispute over the boundary with British Guiana was settled by arbitration in 1899, but was reopened in 1962. British Guiana gained its independence in May 1966, after an agreement was signed in Geneva, which designated the once settled dispute a "controversy". The foreign policy strategies deployed by Guyana demonstrate the extent to which a small state can effectively utilize diplomacy. The thesis challenges those interpretations which have viewed Guyana's foreign policy mainly in terms of a mechanism used by the government to secure legitimacy. Such arguments fail to consider the multifaceted characteristic of foreign policy and the threat to Guyana's territorial integrity from the more powerful Venezuela. It is contended that it would be more accurate to state that during periods of tensions with Venezuela, preservation of the Guyanese state was the principal goal of foreign policy. When relations improved, this goal was of continued importance, but other goals became prominent. The thesis analyses Guyanese-Venezuelan relations as Caracas pursued its claim. It evaluates Guyana's international response as its main defence strategy, given that state's military and economic weaknesses vis-a-vis Venezuela. It assesses the effectiveness of Burnham's vitriolic diplomacy 1966-1985 and the more subtle form during the Hoyte administration, 1985-1992. An examination of the foreign ministries' archives in London, Washington, Caracas and Port-of-Spain was conducted to gain insights into the interaction of the of the dispute's re-emergence and cold war concerns over Guyana. The measures taken by the USA, Britain, Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago to ensure that Venezuelan action did not affect Burnham's rule are revealed. Burnham's role in the signing of the 1966 Geneva Agreement is also explored.

Selon notre hypothèse principale, l'identité est plurielle. Ainsi, des études qui ne concerneraient que l'ethnicité ne prendraient pas en compte une réalité sociale complexe, dans laquelle la combinaison de facteurs identitaires sert de base à des actions politiques. La Guyana est un état postcolonial anglophone au sein duquel deux ethnies l'une afro-guyanienne et l'autre indo-guyanienne, se contestent réciproquement le pouvoir depuis la fin des années 50. L'analyse de l'évolution des idéologies qui animent cette société démontre que l'identité ethnique n'est pas la seule source d'inégalité dans les rapports de pouvoir. Classe sociale et genre restent, à cet égard, des facteurs essentiels. Les autres domaines choisis par ce travail de recherche pour analyser les relations intercommunautaires sont l'économie parallèle des années 70 et 80 ; le cricket (le sport national), le mouvement syndical. Leur étude montre que l'appartenance ethnique est présentée dans la plupart des travaux sur la Guyana comme un facteur déterminant. La réalité demeure cependant plus complexe, classe sociale et les rapports sociaux de sexe revêtant à plus d'un titre une importance. Le chapitre de conclusion replacera la Guyana dans un cadre comparatif international en proposant un lien entre, d'une part, les paradigmes dominants des études postcoloniales, et d'autre part, la résolution de certains conflits à l'échelle mondiale.

Les premiers essais agricoles dans les terres basses de la Guyane française commencent dès 1763 sur les côtes de Kourou. Ce fut le début d’une entreprise qui, sous la forme de dents de scie, va marquer l’économie de cette colonie française de l’Amérique du sud jusqu’à nos jours. Les terres noyées de la Guyane française, sont toutes localisées sur la bande côtière et correspondent à des zones humides (tourbières, mangroves, marais). Au début de la colonisation, en 1604 précisément, les Français se sont établis sur l’île de Cayenne, et ont occupés les terres hautes, situées plus à l’intérieur du continent. L’agriculture de ces terres a débuté à la même période, selon le modèle d’agriculture sur brûlis développé par les autochtones. Ce modèle traditionnel convenait à la production des denrées alimentaires pour des petits groupes. Néanmoins, au bout d’un siècle, leur rendement ne satisfaisait plus au commerce de la colonie. L’épuisement ou la faible productivité de ces terres hautes à la fin du XVIIIeme siècle, a ainsi occasionné une ruée ver les terres basses. Le développement de ces terres noyées avait déjà été entrepris par les Hollandais (Guyane hollandaise), mais ces zones humides rebutaient encore les Colons-Planteurs en Guyane française. Dès l’arrivée de V. Malouet (nouvel intendant de la colonie) vers 1778, les techniques d’assèchement et de construction de polders se développent en Guyane française sous la direction de l’ingénieur J. S. Guisan. Ce dernier essaya de faire des terres noyées, la réponse aux problèmes agricoles de la Guyane française. Mais, les différents évènements socio-politiques qui touchèrent la France à cette époque (Révolution française, abolition de l’esclavage, activités aurifères), mirent fin dès 1848 à cette entreprise. Certaines contraintes climatiques doivent également être considérées. Un siècle plus tard, vers 1950 avec le lancement du plan vert, les rizières de Mana témoignent encore de l’importance de la culture des terres basses en Guyane française<br>The first agricultural trials in the lowlands of French Guyana started in AD 1763 on Kourou coasts. It was the beginning of an initiative that will mark the economy of this French colony of South America until today. The flooded lands of French Guyana are all located on the coastal strip. This area is composed of wetlands (peatlands, mangrove and swamps). At the beginning of colonisation, in AD 1604 exactly, French people established themselves on the Cayenne Island and on the uplands (mainland). The cultivation of these uplands started at the same time, adopting the slash-and-burn agriculture developed by autochthonous people. More, this agricultural model was butter suited to foodstuffs production for small groups. However, early in the century, their performance no longer satisfied trade of the colony. Depletion or low production of these uplands at the end of the XVIIIth century, caused a rush to the lowlands. The development of these low lands has already been undertaken by the Dutch (Dutch Guyana), but these wetlands were still rejected by the Colon-planters in the French Guyana. As soon as V. Malouet arrived (new intendant of the colony) ca. AD 1778, the techniques of dewatering and polder construction developed in the French Guyana under the supervision of the engineer J. S. Guisan. He tried to manage the flooded lands as an answer to agricultural problems of the French Guyana. But, several socio-political events occurred in France at this period (the French Revolution, the abolition of slavery, the gold-bearing activity) put a stop to this process in AD 1848. Climate control should also be considered. One century later, around AD 1950, Mana rice fields still testify of the importance of cultivation of lowland of French Guyana, in particular thanks to the launch of the green plan.Keys words: French Guyana

The application of systematic conservation decision-making methodologies requires data on the spatial distribution of the elements of biodiversity. When a decision on where to put a protected area to conserve biodiversity must be made at a given time, the decision must be based on the best data available. But, adequate data are often lacking. This thesis examines the use of surrogate measures of biodiversity in conservation decision-making in Guyana, South America. The study looks at different surrogate measures and their influence on the selection of priority biodiversity sites for conservation. Surrogate measures at the ecosystem and species level are examined. The research shows that measures from different hierarchical levels produce different outcomes on the location of sites, however measures at the ecosystem-level appear to capture most of the known species distributions. The thesis examines cross-taxon congruency and shows that the spatial scale of analysis influences patterns of congruency for different taxonomic groups. The influence of spatial scale is also examined for various measures of biodiversity and it is shown that variability of species richness decreases with increased selection unit size. Finally, an index of vulnerability is used to prioritise conservation of sites in Guyana based on urgency, which is defined by two different threats: agriculture and forestry. This thesis adopts a conceptual framework based on data-driven, efficient, flexible and transparent methodologies and uses it to demonstrate how a network of protected areas might be established in Guyana that uses the most comprehensive data available on biodiversity. The thesis concludes by presenting a protocol for conservation decision-making that incorporates some of the theoretical principles identified by this work as important for measuring biodiversity and planning a protected area network.