The National Mangrove Management Action Plan which is being prepared as a blueprint for mangrove restoration will be submitted to Cabinet for approval within the next two months.
Chair of the Mangrove Action Committee, Annette Arjoon-Martins during a media briefing yesterday stated that the committee has been focusing on the key areas of public awareness, research and restoration as it interacts with residents along the coastland. She said that during interactive sessions with residents, the committee observed that the tropical species is of great economic value to residents in certain areas but alternatives are available.
Martins noted that the main purpose of the plan is to get stakeholders’ input, which, after Cabinet’s approval, will see funds earmarked. She said that the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), one of the agencies which make up the committee, is working to establish an inventory of areas along the coastland where mangroves thrive. She said the committee will also utilize satellite imagery to this effect.
Currently, Martins noted, the coastland is nestled behind some 80,000 hectares of mangroves, which provides some 290 miles of natural sea defence, 2/3 of the sea defence of the country. She said that there is the misconception that the relevant authorities are going to only replant mangroves, but according to her, mangrove restoration and conservation are the pivotal areas which the committee will be addressing, while replanting measures will be implemented in time.
The overall objective of the restoration programme is to abate climate change and to mitigate its effects through protection, rehabilitation and wise use of Guyana’s mangrove ecosystem. Consultations/workshops have been undertaken by the committee in all Coast-lying administrative Regions; at the moment work in this regard is being undertaken in Region One.
It was noted that public awareness remains a key aspect of the restoration programme, and more work needs to be done in this regard.
The committee has listed several suggestions and recommendations as it undertakes its agenda, among them being: better enforcement of existing laws to prosecute persons who destroy mangroves and Martins noted that the recent signing of legislation making it illegal to cut or remove the species was a positive move. She said that the Forest and Sea Defence Act has made such provisions, noting that a $12,000 fine plus 12 months imprisonment exists for anyone who was found removing the species.
Martins said that the issue in this regard needed to be addressed at the community level by the RDCs. More community involvement, inclusive of community rangers to monitor and inventorize mangroves was among suggestions coming out of consultations thus far. The installation of signs indicating to the general public that it is illegal to destroy mangroves as well as the penalty for doing so were also among the recommendations made during consultations.
The Earth and Science Faculty of the University of Guyana is on board the committee to address the research aspect of the programme while the committee is also engaging a London-based university to assist in research. The committee was formed earlier this year and some $125M was allocated in this year’s budget to the committee via the Ministry of Agriculture to carry out its mandate. The European Union is funding the project to the tune of $1B.
