Guyana expresses interest in Amazonia networking system
Guyana Chronicle
October 11, 2002
GUYANA has expressed its interest in the System of Monitoring the Amazonia/System of Protection of the Amazonia (SIVAM/SIPAM) project.
As a result of the expression, by Foreign Affairs Minister Rudy Insanally during his recent visit to Brazil, it was agreed that the latter country would examine the possibility of an SIVAM/SIPAM team visiting here, the Government Information Agency (GINA) said.
GINA said information on its website shows that SIVAM/SIPAM was created by the Brazilian Government to protect the Amazon region and allow for the sustainable development of its inhabitants.
SIVAM/SIPAM, using mobile radar and other sensory surveillance equipment, will collect and process data from organisations involved in the protection and preservation of the Amazonia, which accounts for probably the largest variety of animals and vegetation species on Earth and caused its importance to climate change and ecological balance to capture international interest.
GINA said, besides containing the largest fresh water basin in the world (about one-fifth of the total), the tropical Amazon forest accounts for up to one- third of the forested land existing on the planet, making its economic potential incalculable.
GINA said SIVAM/SIPAM is one of the more sophisticated projects ever conceived and employs a multi-disciplined coordinated effort involving both public and private institutions.
SIVAM/SIPAM is designed to monitor the electromagnetic spectrum, the control of the occupation and use of land in the region, the monitoring and control of endemic diseases and epidemics, the fast and efficient performance of civil defence, the identification and combat of illicit activities, aboriginal land protection, monitoring and control of air traffic, support to the control of fluvia circulation and research activities as well as sustainable development of the region.
GINA said SIVAM/SIPAM is intended to interface with agencies and organisations involved in the areas of health and biomedical research, to provide data support that could effective changes in the control and study of illnesses related to the local environment.
Given its expanse of biodiversity, the Amazonia is believed to be one of the largest existing natural sources of pharmaceutical products and biochemicals, GINA said.
The agency said the Amazon forest covers and area of approximately five million square kilometres, a size equivalent almost to that of Australia or United States, extending through nine countries on the South American continent, namely Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Suriname, Guyana and French Guiana.
The Brazilian part is approximately 50 per cent of the total forest area and the Amazon River is 6,868 kilometres long, with its deepest end measuring 120 metres.
Other than the thousands of plant species already catalogued in the Amazon forest, it is believed that thousands more uncovered may exist, GINA reported.