Communities have been responding positively to mangrove initiatives, Chairperson of the Mangrove Action Committee Annette Arjoon-Martins said yesterday, as a copy of the Mangrove Management Plan was handed over to Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud yesterday.

The Committee has already begun implementing aspects of the Plan.

Persaud lauded the Plan’s timeliness, while also pointing out that that it is a low cost and practical opportunity to secure the coastline. “All of us, we have a role in protecting our shoreline,” he added. He said that the Plan was also noteworthy in that in contains a productive element. He acknowledged that previous efforts were not successful before the involvement of the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) in the project.

Meanwhile, Chargé D’affaires of the European Union Delegation to Guyana Manuela Pinteiro expressed satisfaction with the Plan, which she noted is in line with Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy. She expressed hope that a financing agreement, which will include support for the mangrove project, will be signed soon. Government has already provided support for the project, Persaud added.