$26.4M turtle, forest conservation pacts inked
By Desiree Jodah
Agreements for the disbursement of $5.4 million for marine turtle conservation and $21 million for the protection of biodiversity and management of protected areas were yesterday signed by an official of the World Wildlife Fund and the respective agencies here. Under the agreement, the WWF-Guiana Forests and Environmental Conservation Project (WWF-GFECP) will disburse the funds in tranches. Yesterday at the signing ceremony held at Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel, Director of WWF-GFECP, Michelet Fontaine, handed over a cheque for $2 million to Annette Arjoon of the recently-formed Marine Turtle Conservation Society. Head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Per Bertilson, also received a cheque for $5 million from Fontaine. Arjoon said the amount would be disbursed during the nesting season this year. She said four species of the giant sea turtles nest on the beaches of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. The grant agreement is expected to provide for closer collaboration on the Regional Marine Turtle Conservation Programme which is being developed at the moment. Several areas would be covered by the funding. The main components would be the monitoring of nesting beaches, especially Shell Beach; the construction of field stations and base camps; the purchase of a boat and an outboard engine to make beach patrolling and the counting of nesting turtles more easy and efficient. An aerial view survey is also planned. Arjoon said an estimation of incidental by-catches by gill nets and shrimp trawlers would be made as many turtles are caught in fishermen's nets and drown before being able to get out. (Local shrimpers now must use Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs), a conditionality imposed by the US before it accepts shrimp from this country.) Environmental camps would be organised for members of the neighbouring Amerindian communities to make them aware of the importance of the conservation of the turtles and to enlist their help. With the technical assistance of Biotopic, an organisation which has been operating in Suriname during the past three turtle-nesting seasons with funding from WWF, a pilot turtle-marking programme using the pit-tags would be launched in Guyana. The turtle-marking system is currently being used in Suriname and French Guiana. The GFECP is an eco-regional initiative of the WWF. The three thematic areas covered by this project are forest conservation, protection of biodiversity and management of protected areas. The project concerns the Guiana Shield. Funds disbursed to the EPA would go towards the conservation, protection, management and sustainable utilisation of the country's biodiversity. Minister of Fisheries, Crops and Livestock, Satyadeow Sawh, in brief remarks, said the Guyana Forestry Commission and the Fisheries Department are two entities whose activities have a significant impact on the country's biodiversity resources. He said although wildlife played a major role in the forest ecosystem, it must be recognised that it is an important source of revenue for many Guyanese. Utilisation of this resource must be done in a sustainable way. According to Sawh, in order to make decisions on the levels of utilisation permissible, it is important to have baseline data. he said information on population levels, mortality and natality rates, breeding and nesting seasons, geographic ranges and litter size were important. There is also a need to establish information on fauna/flora relationships. He said this information would then be used to assist in the development of acceptable management plans for wildlife species as being either abundant, rare or endangered. Sawh referred to the ministry's stern stand on the use of TEDs on fishing trawlers. He said only recently several meetings have been held with fishermen to sensitise them on the need to avoid known turtle-nesting areas during the nesting season. The minister said plans were afoot to have a Coast Guard presence at nesting areas during the seasons. Fontaine said WWF has been supporting conservation in the Guianas for about 40 years now. Support consisted of funds for sea turtle protection, anti-poaching measures for hunting species, biological surveys, educational materials, publications, technical support and capacity building of local institutions. He said in 1998 WWF launched the GFECP, a four-year conservation initiative primarily targeting the forest ecosystems of the Guianas. Adviser to the President on Science and Environmental matters Navin Chandarpal said that moves were being made to introduce regulations in hunting and fishing. Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, performing the functions of President, and Denise Fraser of the EPA also spoke at the signing ceremony.
|