The First Place on Earth will also be the Last Place on Earth

The Guiana Shield emerged from the ocean over 1,700,000,000 years ago to form the first land mass on the super continent of Pangaea. The shield has existed ever since, there are no fossils there because the life which came to inhabit the special environment has always been there without being covered, dinosaurs which may have been there have turned to dust instead, because of the natural cycles. The shield is not known to have suffered disasters, volcanoes, or earthquakes since its formation. What we do know is that it is the "first place on earth."

During the last ice age the Guiana Shield and the Amazon River Basin were spared from the deep freeze. Fossil evidence shows that there are plants alive on the Guiana Shield that were wiped out in North America millions of years ago.

The large stable land mass is located in South America, it beholds the most primitive landscapes on the planet and is the most biologically diverse place on the planet according to some scientists and researchers. It is geographically situated near the Amazon rainforest (less than 300 kilometers to the north) it shares many animal and plant species, but also possesses special and unique species that only occur naturally there. Currently it is one of the 10 least explored places on the planet earth.

In ecological  terms, the Guiana Shield eco-region is of immense importance to the  world. The eco-region is made up of several unique ecosystems that:

• Store approximately 11-18% of global freshwater supply.
• Store about 50 billion tons of carbon.
• Support an estimated 20,000 vascular  plant species, of which about 35% is endemic.

It provides  habitat for rich biodiversity, including 975 species of avifauna, 282 mammalian species, 280 reptilian species, 272 amphibian species and 2,200 fish species.

Despite the known threats (illegal logging, gold mining, and large scale  infrastructure and agricultural activities) to the integrity of the  unique ecosystems, the countries of the region pursue alternative development paths that increasingly focus on maximising use of the value of natural resources and minimising their loss or degradation. However, a comprehensive regional planning process for the conservation and sustainable development of the Guiana Shield is needed to complement  individual country efforts to manage common problems and pursue  region-wide human development.

The Guianas or the Guiana Shield has a total area of 2,699,500 square kilometers lying just north of the Amazon River and Rainforest Basin, south of the lower Orinoco, running out to the Atlantic Coast.

The Guiana Shield hosts many national parks including Caniama in Venezuela, Mt. Roraima in Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana, Kaieteur Falls in Guyana, and the Iwokrama Forest Preserve.