Forest Rangers are low paid, but are professional

Forest Rangers are low paid, but are professional – James Singh

Aug 19, 2014 News

Head of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) James Singh says that although his forest rangers are low paid workers, they still act professionally. Singh at a press conference yesterday praised the forest rangers, saying that they have been doing a “good job” in enforcing laws governing concessions and the exports of logs.
According to Singh, there may be instances where a few officers may get involved in illegal activities, but the vast majority of the GFC staff is very professional, hardworking and dedicated.
Singh disclosed that rangers are paid a salary of GUY$65,000 monthly. He explained that they are given field allowances and incentives for uncovering any illegal activities. Moreover, Singh disclosed that the Commission currently has about 220 rangers working to patrol logging areas. He said that while that amount is not the required amount, the rangers are working excellently.
Further, Singh said that the correct complement would be 240 and they are working to ensure that the amount is increased.
Singh maintained that although the salaries are small, the work done by the rangers is of a satisfactory level.
He noted that the Commission is expected to do a review which would seek to explore ways of awarding increases. He explained that since it’s a government agency remuneration has to be on par with others agencies.
The GFC has 39 forest stations countrywide providing real-time close-up satellite monitoring and non-reusable barcode scanner log tags.
The press conference held yesterday was specifically to deal with issues surrounding new developments about Chinese logging company Bai Shan Lin and others.
Bai Shan Lin has been granted a forestry concession that amounts to close to one million hectares of rainforest, from which it plans to extract logs and ship them out of Guyana. The company estimates that it will make US$1,800 from each hectare of land, giving it profits totaling US$1.7 billion, according to redd-monitor.org.
In addition, it sought permission to dig up a 20-kilometre stretch of river to look for gold.
Other plans include setting up what it is called a Guyana-China Timber Industry Economic and Trading Corporation Park, plus a 400-acre real estate development. The plans were announced in 2012 by Chu Wenze, Chairman of Bai Shan Lin, at the Second World Congress on Timber and Wood Products Trade in Taicang, China.
Those plans were announced even before Guyana knew of it. The country became aware of what was happening only when Bai Shan Lin officials visited Guyana and held discussions with President Donald Ramotar and other Government officials.
Redd-monitor.org stated that in November 2012, Chu Wenze, the Chairman of Chinese logging company Bai Shan Lin, gave a presentation outlining his company’s plans for Guyana at the World Congress in Taicang, China. These plans have threatened Guyana’s proposals to reduce deforestation and forest degradation.
Bai Shan Lin is part of a group of 11 companies operating in Guyana. They are all part of the China Forest Industry Group (Hong Kong). These companies have seven logging concessions in Guyana, covering a total area of 960,000 hectares (about 4.5% of the area of the country).
In November 2012, Whu Wenze and David Dabydeen, Guyana’s Ambassador to China, took part in a signing ceremony for a loan from the Chinese Development Bank for Bai Shan Lin’s forestry projects in Guyana.

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Forest Rangers are low paid, but are professional – James Singh

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