The National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) is launching a documentary short, titled “Holding back the Sea,” aimed at teaching the public about the importance of restoring and protecting mangroves.
In a press release, NAREI said sensitivity and awareness about the importance of mangroves in Guyana’s sea defence is a major component of the Guyana Mangrove Restoration Project (GMRP).
“The recognition of the vital roles that mangroves play; the extraordinary environment to which they have adapted and their vulnerability to external pressures, should become part of the nation’s consciousness,” it said, in order to foster a sense of shared national responsibility and make the work of restoration and protection easier.
The 17-minute documentary has been filmed in an interactive format, which will allow viewers to follow a young girl on her journey to learn about mangroves, the threats to their cultivation and the steps government, through the GMRP, is taking to re-cultivate the coastal mangrove forest and protect the standing forest.
The documentary will be launched on January 28 at a venue that will be announced later. Thereafter it will be aired on the Guyana Learning Channel and copies will be made available to schools and libraries countrywide.
