WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THIS IDEA?

Sep 27, 2008 Editorial

More than ten years ago, with great pomp and fanfare, the idea of converting the Botanical Gardens and its Zoological Park into a biodiversity park was suggested.

There was even a plan on how to proceed with this great idea, which would have seen the present area transformed into something that would not only be a tourist attraction, but would also be a facility that would have been truly unique.

There was little reason why Guyana should not have had the best biodiversity park in the world. Guyana is home to some of the planet’s most magnificent flora and fauna.

Since we have always been plugging these along with our many natural resources, including our virgin rainforests, the idea of a truly unique and special biodiversity park was something that simply required the will and the effort.

Money, we believe, would have been forthcoming for this park, which Guyana could have used to bring hundreds, if not thousands, of tourists each week from Brazil, Venezuela and the Caribbean.

This flow accruing from the initial investment would have been more than paid back, if the park was developed in a proper way, including a role for corporate partnerships.

That this great idea was allowed to gather dust in some corner is part of the ongoing saga of tragedy of this part of the world, where ideas blossom quickly but quickly wilt under the heat of red tape, bureaucracy and procrastination.

The idea of a biodiversity park for the Botanical Gardens, as has been so many other great ideas which could have brought tangible benefits to our country, is now long gone.

That area is now no longer suited or even large enough for the sort of park that will now have to be created to compete with some of the large parks in other parts of the world, many of which combine the actual exhibits and educational tours with amusement zones so as to give visitors greater variety.

The continuing deterioration of Georgetown would make such a concept no longer feasible. In any event, more land will now have to be found for such a park, which has always been better suited for the countryside rather than close to the urban centres.

For these reasons, and with the imminent opening of the Berbice River Bridge, we believe that the authorities should consider a total development plan for Berbice, so that it can be poised to take advantage of the opening of the bridge, which is now expected to take place in time for the Christmas peak season.

A biodiversity park for Berbice would be a great way to kick-start new forms of development in that region.
Such a park should be large enough to cater for future expansion, and should feature all the various species of plant, animal and insect life which abound in Guyana.

This would be a very spectacular park, which would no doubt cost millions but which, if developed in phases, beginning for example with a natural resource park, then adding a zoological park and a flora gardens, can see Berbice becoming a magnet for tourism, thus lifting the region out of its present misery.

There is therefore a need for work to be done and for the Government to move assiduously forward in developing the idea of a biodiversity park, which can in the long term be Jagdeo’s showpiece to the world of a massive carbon sink and tourist attraction all in one.

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WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THIS IDEA?

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The Glenn Lall Show|| March, 17th, 2025

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