Twelve young people from several regions across Guyana have been equipped with the knowledge to assist their indigenous communities in sustainable forest management, following a two-week training programme with the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC).
The training is said to be the first part of an eight-month-long programme, titled “Promoting sustainable forestry in Indigenous Peoples’ Communities through capacity building and direct participation in the European Union [EU] FLEGT VPA (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Voluntary Partnership Agreement) process.”
It follows an agreement signed between the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the National Toshaos’ Council (NTC) under the FAO EU FLEGT programme, which saw the NTC receiving an estimated US$50,000 to execute the programme.