Understanding environmental change and its consequences for livelihoods and biodiversity in Guyana

Tropical regions, rich in ecological diversity, face high rates of environmental and climate change, profoundly impacting both ecosystems and people. However, research addressing these challenges within the globally important Guiana Shield region in the northern Amazon biome remains scarce. This thesis seeks a multidisciplinary understanding of the effects of various drivers of environmental change for biodiversity and local people in the country of Guyana, South America. By combining spatial, ecological, and social approaches, this work bridges knowledge gaps, offering broad insights, and contributing to conservation science and policy. Specifically, this thesis identifies regions and biodiversity most vulnerable to deforestation, particularly in northwest Guyana. The findings strongly indicate that expanding protected areas, or targeted prioritisation of conservation areas would benefit biodiversity and reduce deforestation. This set of work also shows how biodiversity respond to varying levels of human settlement intensity, with impacts felt more acutely in previously forested areas than in savanna areas. Lastly, this research enhances our understanding of factors that determine community livelihood vulnerability, in particular showing the impacts of a changing climate on subsistence livelihoods, and further highlights the importance of factors such as livelihood options, flooding and access to healthcare in determining community vulnerability to environmental change. Overall, this thesis informs conservation interventions, in a way that can be aligned with local and national needs to help to enhance resilience. Achieving these goals hinges on collaborative efforts among government bodies, Indigenous communities, stakeholders, and local populations, both in Guyana and worldwide. Together, this set of works offers a holistic perspective on environmental challenges, linking research outcomes to inform policy implementation for sustainable development and biodiversity conservation.