The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Guianas is currently assessing major wetlands here.
The project is part of its larger Freshwater Conservation and Management programme and it was highlighted last Wednesday, in observance of World Wetlands Day.
In a press release, the group said the project commenced early in 2010 and aims to characterise, assess and prioritise wetland ecosystems in Guyana to provide information for effective wetlands management strategies, conservation and sustainable utilisation, among decision-makers, managers, users and the general public.
According to the WWF Guianas, to date preliminary mapping and desktop research revealed evidence of a number of major artificial and natural wetland areas. At present, it noted, the project is in the phase of conducting on-site surveys and data collection.
It added that a team of eight local researchers contacted under the project, together with staff of the EPA-Guyana and WWF, have been surveying selected wetland sites for “the important and wetland-related wild plants and animals, and the hydrological, physical and socio-economic features.”
The group said the team has so far surveyed areas along the coast within Corentyne and Essequibo. “These surveys have shown evidence of the importance of these wetland areas to the local people and industries within their respective areas. It also revealed the presence of a number of species of aquatic birds and some reptiles and mammals,” it noted.
At the end of the project, it is intended that baseline data on the major wetland sites will be catalogued and used for conducting future surveys and monitoring and informing initial management decisions and as a source of information for other researchers, students and the general public.
A book on wetlands of Guyana is also to be published to highlight the important wetland sites and their characteristics.
