Caiman House, Yupukari Village

New Environmental Education Curriculum Carries Forward Sustainable Wildlife Programme In Guyana New Environmental Education Curriculum Carries Forward Sustainable Wildlife Programme In Guyana

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New Environmental Education Curriculum carries forward sustainable wildlife programme in Guyana - Landscape Alliance July 2026 — Guyana marked two conservation milestones this month: The launch of a new Environmental Education Curriculum (EEC) for Regions 4 and 6, and the conclusion of the Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme’s Phase 2 — representing eight years of engagement in the country. At th...

Remembering Diane
by Alice Layton
Co-Founder, Caiman House

When Peter and I were trying to work out whether he could make a go of a black caiman study in the Rupununi, it was Diane who pointed us toward Yupukari, Diane who made the introductions, Diane who lent us her own standing so the village might consider taking us in. None of what has happened in the twenty years since would have been possible without that generous act — the first of many.
We’d been living in Yupukari perhaps six months when she hailed us over the ham radio one afternoon: “I have some guests who won’t leave, and I’ve run out of things to show them! Might they tag along with Peter and the crew, catching caiman tonight?”
A boat arrived in the pitch dark at the designated turn in the river, with rum punch, snacks, and four enthusiastic Brits, who joined the crew on the riverbank once an animal had been safely lassoed and its jaws taped. The guests helped hoist each caiman to weigh it, held the tape to measure it, learned how to determine the s*x, inject a computer chip, mark the scutes for reidentification, safely release it without getting attacked, and a host of other novelties, refusing to leave until the crew was finished at almost dawn, ten captures later.
The next afternoon Diane was back on the radio with the reviews — these were experienced travelers who’d been on safari and everywhere else, saying it was the best wildlife experience they’d ever had. Standing there by the radio, I should have had a cartoon lightbulb floating over my head, as it was the moment I realized that we had found a way to sustain a long-term mark-recapture study. That night was the seed of what is now Caiman House, and we owe it to Diane.
I admired her idea of hospitality: not as a service but as a welcome, an act of opening your home and your local knowledge -- offering yourself -- to shape a guest experience like no other. Diane’s style has been the template for Caiman House — for villagers to grow in appreciation of what they know and have to offer; to cherish their home, their wilderness, their Rupununi. Her love endures…

Good morning from Caiman House! Have a great day folks.

River Turtle Conservation Success in Rupununi, Guyana #SWMProgramme Across the Rupununi Region in Guyana, communities are leading effor...

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Great work, team! Ambassade de France à Sainte-Lucie / French Embassy in St Lucia thanks again for helping us spread the skills and enthusiasm.