Amerindian people to number around 47,000 in Guyana, around 8% of the country's total population [Forte 1990a]. However, the concentration of the majority of the non-indigenous population on the coast means that Amerindians form a demographic majority in many parts of the interior. Despite this, industrial development in the interior has tended to by-pass Amerindian populations, and rarely been designed to cater for their needs [La Rose 1994]. Though this situation is being remedied with a greater focus on consultation with Amerindians in current development programmes [e.g. Bishop 1996], the problem of ensuring their full participation in and benefit from the changes that are taking place in Guyana remains. The need for this is compelling - though no comprehensive economic surveys have been performed, conventional economic indicators suggest that Amerindian poverty is a continuing phenomenon [Forte 1993: 6-8]. Economics and livelihood The cattle and balata latex industries were the economic mainstay of the area from the 1900s to the 1980s. Since then, tourism has grown slowly as has the interest in conserving this global treasure through the work of Conservation International, the Iwokrama Centre, WWF and other community based NGOs and governmental organizations. Recently, the Government has entertained the idea of large scale agricultural initiatives and small scale industrial development in Lethem. The establishment and strengthening of the Georgetown-Lethem road is designed to support increased access to the area. Aside from subsistence and economic value, the North Rupununi also feature prominently indigenous culture and folklore, and have significant aesthetic value, serving as a primary place of recreation for local residents. Although these communities have legal title to some of their traditional lands, all of the communities currently practice customary user rights to their surrounding land and resources. The North Rupununi may have a historical comparative advantage in conservation and tourism development. The main competitor for an area like this is the Pantanal in Brazil which has a longer product development and marketing history than the North Rupununi. Although the impacts of the communities on biodiversity have been relatively low, there are several growing threats to biodiversity and to the integrity of the area. Notably the construction of the cross border Takutu River Bridge to Brazil, improvement of the Lethem-Georgetown Road which runs near the Kanuku Mountains and through the Rupununi savannahs, allowing increased access to natural resources, increased population growth in Lethem, the nearest town to the Kanukus, fire, over-harvesting