How one village turned an extinction story into a conservation success story
By Johann du Preez
It was 2019 when I first set foot in the jungle of Guyana . When I stepped off the plane and into the jungle it was like I had taken a step back in time ; to a place where nature comes before the ideals of man . I can still recall the first time I heard the thundering noise of the howler monkeys or watching a pack of giant river otters play in the water . This place is over flowing with wildlife and scenic beauty . A place with rich biodiversity , but most importantly a place that is teeming with fish . Since that first visit to the jungle , the Rewa Eco-lodge has been my home away from home . A place I visit as often as possible , and I hope to keep going back for a very long time to come .
Off course this raises the question ; why keep going back ? The answer simple ; the sheer diversity and numbers of fish . That is what keeps me going back . With more than 17 species of fish that one can target on the fly and a multitude more on conventional gear the Rewa system is truly one of the greatest freshwater destinations on the planet . It is home to arowana , two species of payara , peacock bass , a variety of piranha species , the infamous red pacu , numerous species of catfish and the list goes on . However , the main attraction is a fish that is almost stranger than fiction . It is home to the world ’ s largest scaled freshwater fish , the arapaima .
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