Kaieteur News has been relentless in its frank reporting of environmental issues

Aug 31, 2014 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
For quite some time now, our local dailies have been really providing great coverage of existing and emerging environmental issues. Kaieteur News, in particular, has been reporting on some very troubling events and activities that are affecting the health of our natural environment.
The Bai Shan Lin logging operations, the pollution of our rivers, the possibility of radioactive materials on vehicles imported from Japan, the crude mining operations in our hinterland, and deforestation activities are just a few of the stories covered by the journalists of that newspaper.
We commend the owner, editors and reporters for their high quality of reportage on environmental issues in Guyana. Indeed, had, it not been for the vigilance and alertness of Kaieteur News, many would still be unaware of the possible damage done to our environment and the plunder of our natural assets, by some companies.
As yet, we are not sure what is happening to the ecosystems, in the interiors of our country. We do not know, for sure, if there is an independent body verifying the tracking system used by the Guyana Forestry Commission, to keep pace with operations in our forests and the integrity of that system, and the human and technological competencies of the Environmental Protection Agency, to evaluate, test and measure the impact of many mining and other activities on the natural environment.
For example, has the EPA carried out any evaluation or analysis on the impacts of the road construction project along the East Bank Highway on the ecosystems in that area? If so, what were its findings?
What Kaieteur News is doing, in reporting such activities, is really part of the social responsibility of a media company; to tell the truth, to expose wrongs and to inform the public about important events and issues, which have the potential to shape their local communities and influence their lives.
Indeed, some of the most important issues facing humanity today are the loss of biodiversity and the ecosystem services they provide. The array of life on Earth, its biological diversity, is usually referred to as biodiversity. The number of species of plants, animals, and microorganisms, the huge diversity of genes in these species, the different ecosystems on the planet, such as deserts, rainforests and coral reefs are all part of a biologically diverse Earth.
Appropriate conservation and sustainable development strategies attempt to recognise this as being integral to any approach. In different ways or forms, all cultures have recognised the importance of nature and its biological diversity for their societies and have therefore understood the need to maintain it. Still, power, greed and politics have affected the balance.
Therefore, it is vital for media to keep nature issues on their front pages and in their top stories.
It is true, that much more can be done in this area of reporting by the local media industry. But we are aware that, media, not only in poor countries like Guyana, but also in first world countries, face the challenge of a paucity of reporters who can provide effective coverage of environmental issues and their impacts on the biosphere, for these are complex issues and unless journalists have some background knowledge to them, they would be hard- pressed to report intelligently on such issues and to keep the public informed.
Media reports on environmental matters should be well-researched and investigative. However, many journalists are not so equipped with the knowledge and skills to do that research.
Perhaps, this is one reason why numerous corporate and other activities, which are negatively impacting on the environment, are not reported on and many companies, businesses and agencies are getting away with unfriendly environmental practices and poor social responsibility.
Kaieteur News has been relentless in its frank reporting of environmental issues. It has established itself as a leader in bringing environmental issues to the fore and putting it on the national agenda for discussion and action. We, at the Environmental Community Health Organization, with very serious concerns about what is happening to the environment, appreciate this, and hope that the owner of that newspaper will continue to make the environment a priority in his coverage of the news.
Royston King
Executive Director
Environmental Community Health Organization

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