Dear Editor,
The Ministry of Natural Resources takes note of a November 22nd, 2019 Stabroek News Letter to the Editor headlined ‘Illegalities in forestry sector must be addressed’. The letter raises concerns on the monitoring unit of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) alleging illegal logging activities overlooked in some communities.
While the Ministry welcomes these concerns being raised, it should be also known that GFC records have shown that overall, the compliance/monitoring system of the GFC is working as it was intended and has even increased over the years, thus leading to improved compliance. Nonetheless, the work of improving the various aspects of monitoring and compliance continues.
An Independent Forest Monitoring (IFM) Audit report is publicly available on the GFC website at https://forestry.gov.gy/independent-forest-monitoring/.
In the interim, we invite the writer to make contact with the Ministry to arrange a meeting whereby these concerns could be raised, documented and properly addressed. Other persons interested in raising concerns are also encouraged to engage the Ministry.
Yours faithfully,
Stephon Gabriel
