Safeguarding the mangrove replanting drive through community involvement is being seen as one of the successes of the ongoing Guyana Man-grove Restoration Project (GMRP).
Victoria and Cove and John, villages on the East Coast of Demerara, are among the communities that have made the nurturing and protection of mangrove plants a top priority. Further, Victoria has been identified as a biodiversity zone and, according to Project Chair Annette Arjoon-Martins, the village’s mangrove committee has been doing a “dynamic” job in preparing the coastal area aback the community as a model for other mangrove sites.
Community support has been emphasised as is a key part of the project since its inauguration. Community Mangrove Action Committees (CMACs) have already been formed in the Victoria/ Belfield and Lusignan/Mon Repos restoration areas, while consultations have been held to this end with other communities in regions 4, 5 and 6.
Additionally, several weeks ago a forum was hosted at the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) which saw the involvement of representatives from several communities along the coast. The forum was undertaken in order to have all community representatives made aware of the project’s goals and it was noted that a uniform document was expected to be utilised by the community groups towards addressing the project’s agenda.
Those committees have been supported by the GMRP in an effort to initiate and sustain the participation of the wider community towards the sustainable management of their mangrove forests.
Alongside the community-level committees which have responsibility for safeguarding plants, rangers have been hired to monitor the project’s replanting exercises.
The benefit of the project to communities has also been emphasised by the project. Arjoon-Martins noted that the nurturing of the species was economically beneficial to Victoria, and she cited the area of tourism. She said visits were already being worked out for schools, while noting that students were also being seen as beneficiaries of the project. She said that it was one of several achievements which the year-old project is working to achieve countrywide.
Arjoon-Martins told Stabroek News recently that the areas where replanting has taken place were being monitored. She noted that several areas where initial planting took place, including Hope beach and Mon Repos on the East Coast of Demerara, were hit by natural wave action during spring tides within the past year. She added that this was the only element that would hinder the progress made so far by the project.
According Arjoon-Martins, while there was nothing much which could have been done to prevent the wave, the project’s secretariat was of the view that the plants had stood-up to the phenomena. To date, the plants have grown to varying stages, which are characteristic of the growth of the species.
There are predominantly three common types of mangroves found in Guyana; the black, red and white mangrove. Currently, only the black mangrove is being replanted.
Several areas, including Greenfield on the East Coast and parts of the Essequibo Coast, have also been identified as prospective replanting grounds for the species. Meanwhile, it was noted that natural regeneration of mangroves at Ruimzigt on the West Coast of Demerara was a significant example of the species being able to manifest its growth naturally.
In Guyana, mangroves contribute substantially to the sea defence system by dampening wave action and protecting coastal banks. However, despite the important ecological services they perform, the tropical species is also a source of raw materials and this has led to the degradation of mangrove fields.
In response to this situation and the growing effects of climate change, the project’s main objectives are to the protection, rehabilitation, and use of the mangrove ecosystems through processes which maintain their protective function and biodiversity. At the same time, it is intended to meet the socio-economic development and environmental protection needs in mangrove areas.
Among the long-term objectives of the project are the establishment of the administrative capacity for the local management of mangroves; increasing public awareness and education about the benefits of mangrove forests; and support for research and development of Guyana’s mangrove forests. Since its launch, the project has resulted in the strengthening in the area of mangrove management.
The project is being funded by the government and the EU, which has committed to spending €4.165M on it. Of this sum, €$3.6M will be committed to budget support while €$480,000 will go towards project support.
Arjoon-Martins stated that body had put measures in place to ensure that the funds provided by the government as well as the European Union are adequately spent. Reports in this regard are compiled to address a breakdown of spending, she noted.
The project was launched last February and according to the secretariat the government’s forest conservation drive includes the protection of the substantial mangrove belts along the coast as well as at estuaries of the main rivers.
