ON A Sunday evening recently, there opened in Guyana, an International Symposium, whose theme focused on Guyana’s Bio-diversity: A Global Perspective for the Future.

It is possible that as Guyanese we were always concerned about our environment and by implication our biosphere and our unique biological diversity. The extent of this concern would have varied from community to community and person to person, but our profound sense of cleanliness and order would have sufficed. This is, however, no longer enough, as increasingly that which we were inclined to take for granted becomes polluted, extinct or threatened to the brink of extinction. Our survival and that of the rest of God’s creatures demand that we develop the necessary consciousness and commitment to join in the crusade to save the planet and all its inhabitants.

In our world today there are some five to 30 million species of which only about 1.4 million have so far been identified. Of this number there are about 850,000 insects, 40,000 vertebrates, 250,000 plants and 360,000 microbiota.

The Amazon region, in which Guyana is located, while accounting for a mere seven per cent of the earth’s surface contains in its rainforests about one half of all species found in the world. Here there are some 60,000 species of higher plants, 2,500,000 species of arthropods, 2,000 fish species, 2,750 reptiles and amphibians and 300 mammalian species.

In 1991 we were presented the opportunity to develop an informed awareness of our rich natural heritage with the establishment of the Centre for the Study of Bio-Diversity at the University of Guyana Turkeyen Campus.

The Centre commenced operations in June 1992, housing a herbarium, zoological collections from Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, a small library and staff offices.

The purpose of the Centre is to study, document and preserve the biological diversity of Guyana. Its goals are:
to curate, use and maintain the collection of plants and animals. to facilitate scientific research. to support educational activities which encourage investigation of the natural sciences. to collaborate with other agencies and organisations for the conservation and sustainable utilisation of the nation’s natural resources.

We can now proudly boast that-- The fish collection has been fully catalogued and labelled.

The bird, reptile and mammal collections have been fully catalogued.

All Museum specimens have been curated.

The Herbarium has been catalogued and fumigated and currently houses approximaely 21,000 specimens, while the Museum accommodates approximately 30,000 specimens.

This is a very significant first step, in that we have bravely ventured where many developed countries have consistently pontificated without so venturing. In the second place even with the limited knowledge of the richness of our country’s bio-diversity, I am advised that we have done a commendable job in ensuring its preservation. It is reasoned that in this we might have been assisted by our low population density and the retarded nature of our industrial development. In any case we have taken a giant step and must now look into the future.

The nation has now tasked itself to promote and achieve the conservation of Guyana’s bio-diversity, to use its components in a sustainable manner and to encourage the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of Guyana’s bio-diversity. It is our hope that at the end of the day the Symposium will have achieved its objectives thereby enhancing policy-making and ensuring the preservation of our shared bio-diversity.

We at the University take pride in the role we have been afforded in this exercise through the Centre and are committed to the future expansion of that role.

This Symposium is fittingly dedicated to the late Dr George Walcott, Scientist, Educator, and University Administrator. For all his many facets and competencies scientific research and the promotion of the sciences were the twin causes, which most activated George Walcott.

On behalf of all Guyanese, we congratulate the organisers for the thoughtful gesture. It is recognition properly earned many times over. I am confident of the distinction the dedication lends to both the symposium and to Dr Walcott.