The Guyana Mangrove Restoration Project (GMRP) which has its primary
Number 64 Villagers in front of mangrove at entrance of Number 63 Beach
objective as a low cost sea defence has commenced its planting for 2012 by starting with Wellington Park Village in East Berbice where over 54,000 plants were planted.
The mangrove seedlings were provided by community contractors consisting mainly of women who were trained in mangrove nursery protocols to ensure healthy seedlings for which they were paid $100 per plant.
Additionally, planters were contracted from the communities for the challenging task of planting the seedlings in the sling mud which made it possible for each planter to only plant 70 seedlings per day during a four-hour period permitted by the tide. They received $2500 each for this task.
As the Wellington Park community has sought declaration of its community forest as a mangrove reserve their women have organised themselves into a mangrove reserve producers group.
They engage in agro processing mainly of pepper sauce and achar which are branded under the mangrove reserve products label.
One beekeeper was trained from Wellington Park and has been provided with six
Wellington women producers under mangrove reserve billboard
hives as well as all the necessary beekeeping equipment and uniform. His hives are located in the intact mangrove forests and he has since captured three additional swarms and expanded on his own to nine hives.
Meanwhile, in pursuit of reforestation of another section of the Corentyne Coast, the women of # 64 Village who are strategically located next to the popular Number 63 Beach have organised themselves into a producer group as well.
The GMRP project is funded by a partnership between the Government of Guyana and the European Union to the tune of 4,165,000 Euros (approximately $ 1.1 Billion) and is currently being implemented through the National Agriculture Research & Extension Institute (NAREI).