The Sea and River Defence Unit of the Ministry of Public Works and Communications is expected to embark on a programme to re-establish groynes along the Coastland as part of the mangrove restoration project.
According to a release from the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI), which is coordinating the technical implementation aspect of the project, it is hoped that with re-establishment of the sea defence infrastructure, the movement of mud shoals along the coast will slow down, thereby stabilizing the very substrate in which mangroves flourish.
The release stated that through the $1B Sustainable Coastal Zone Protection Programme, it is expected that a National Mangrove Management Action Plan as well as the establishment of a Mangrove Code of Practice for future management of the natural resource will be developed. The main activities of the project will be: public awareness and education; research into the ecology of mangroves and mud banks; protection and rehabilitation of mangroves; as well as monitoring and enforcement of forest legislation.
The development of locally-based expertise, competence and understanding of the issues, challenges and solutions that surround the complex question of mangrove sustainability is also an expected outcome of the project.
NARI stated that the overall objective of the project, which is funded by the Government of Guyana and the European Union, is to abate climate change and to mitigate the sea level rise, which is one of the most damaging impacts of global warming on Guyana. According to the release, the sea level is predicted to be in the vicinity of 16 inches during the first half of this century, with a significant comparison drawn with four to eight inches during the last century.
According to NARI, mangroves are Guyana’s natural sea defences and protect the coastline from erosion as their roots help to bind and stabilise the soil and also play an important role in combating global warming through the sequestration of carbon.
Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud recently declared black, red and white mangroves as protected species, making it illegal to cut down mangrove trees anywhere in Guyana. Minister Persaud stated that the administration remains committed to the maintenance and rehabilitation of sea defence infrastructure in order to protect property and lives and as such, protection of the coastline in a more cost effective and sustainable manner is of high importance.