Report indicates Guyana vulnerable to sea level rise
Guyana Chronicle
July 12, 2003
GINA- The vulnerability assessments contained in three reports completed in 2001 on Guyana’s Vulnerability Sea Level Rise, have concluded that Guyana is highly vulnerable to sea level rise.
The most serious consequence of the sea level rise will be flooding in populated coastal areas.
A rise in sea level will inundate wetlands and lowlands, accelerate coastal erosion, raise water tables and increase the salinity of rivers and aquifers, posing a serious threat to many coastal settlements and agricultural lands.
The Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) department of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is one of the most important department in the Agency, as it has the overall responsibility for coastal issues in Guyana.
One of the achievements of the department was the establishment of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Committee in January 1999, to foster an integrated approach to coastal zone management.
In 1999, the EPA undertook responsibility for the implementation of Component Three and Component Six of the Caribbean Planning for the Adaptation to Climate Change (CPPAC). Component Six deals with the assessment of coastal vulnerability and risk.
Public awareness on coastal zone management, coastal vulnerability and climate change were the focal areas of ICZM in 1999.
In addition, Cabinet approved a licence to control the importation of Ozone Depleting Substances ( OSD) in Guyana.
Also, a project to investigate the reasons for the degradation of Mangroves in Guyana was initiated by the EPA in collaboration with the Sea Defence Unit, Ministry of Public Works and Communication.