Guyana, Conservation International in unique forest deal
CONSERVATION International (CI) (Guyana) has been granted an exploratory permit to work on 2000,000 acres of forested land in Region Nine (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo). The concession, in an uninhabited Amerindian area with no name, about 60 miles from the closest settlement, will provide Guyana with a unique opportunity to attract foreign investment, a project document said.
Simultaneously it would afford protection for this country's peculiar biological diversity and may prove to be a model for new foreign direct investment in pristine tropical forests.
The documentation, circulated at a Hotel Tower workshop Tuesday, said CI proposes to acquire a timber sales agreement (TSA), with the aim of conserving the forest and no logging will take place, as is the normal practice under such an arrangement.
Instead, CI would invest an amount that reflects any employment opportunities that might be forgone by conserving rather than logging and pay for the right to preserve the place in its natural state, creating an unprecedented local deal.
"Already, Guyana is a model for many countries in the world for introducing this concept," CI said.
Commissioner of Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), Mr. James Singh, who also spoke at the forum, said CI has three years to produce, among other things, a detailed management blueprint for the acreage.
When the submissions are made and reviewed, if the technical experts are satisfied, only then will CI be awarded the grant, he explained.
Singh said it is expected that CI would engage in extensive consultations with all stakeholders, especially the neighbouring communities and the relevant Government entities.
"We have no reason to believe that these consultations will be a cosmetic exercise. Rather, we are confident that CI would incorporate the concerns and suggestions of the Guyanese stakeholders into their management plan," he offered.
Singh pointed out that the National Forest Policy (NFP) and the drafts of legislation and the National Forest Plan all make provisions for initiatives such as those being pursued by CI.
Dr Richard Rice, Chief Economist at the Centre for Applied Biodiversity Science, an arm of CI, agreed the award will be good for Guyana, which has vast tracks of tropical forests.
He said countries wishing to benefit financially from the development of their forests really have very little alternative but resorting to logging.
"In our view, this is a situation that is both unfortunate and unnecessary in a world where there is an enormous amount of interest and support for forest conservation," Rice contended.
He feels the main problem is not a lack of funding to support conservation nor that forests do not merit conservation investments but the absence of a mechanism to combine the two things.
"A conservation concession is simply a way of eliminating this constraint and, in the process, opening a new international market for conservation where countries like, Guyana that have large areas of globally important forest, can have a true comparative economic advantage in marketing the development of forests," Rice argued.
Similar concessions in various stages of development have been established in nine other countries and the feedback is extremely encouraging, he reported, including Peru and other parts of Latin American as well as Namibia in Africa.
Vice-Chairman of Region Nine, Mr. Vincent Henry said, so far, consultations between CI officials and residents have been very good and he requested university training for some of the population as part of the package.
National Forestry Policy emphasises conservation, too
"To support the implementation of the National Forest Policy, Government reviewed existing legislation and prepared a new draft Forest Act," he disclosed at a Hotel Tower workshop sponsored by Conservation International (CI).
Singh said, in addition to addressing issues like the sustainable use of domestic forest resources, wide stakeholder participation and regulation of processing activities, the proposed law provides for the conservation of sections of the forest, including measures to conserve biodiversity, special species and habitats, soil and water resources.
He said both the NFP and the legal proposals impose obligations on GFC and other sister sectorial agencies and the strategy includes a framework and identifies programmes and activities that must be accomplished.
According to him, the plan consists of 10 schemes in the key areas of action identified in the NFP.
 Follow the goings-on in Guyana  If you do not see the 'Guyana: Land of Six Peoples' drop-down menu on the left then please click here to enter through the front door which will give you additional options and information.
|