UG has a role to play in helping to protect Guyana's biodiversity

UG has a role to play in helping to protect Guyana’s biodiversity – President Granger

Jul 25, 2017 News

President David Granger

Guyana is rich in biodiversity and this must be protected at all cost, and the University of Guyana is expected to help chart the way forward.
This notion was yesterday emphasised by President David Granger who detailed the variety of biodiversity including more than 8,000 plant species, 467 species of fish, 130 amphibians, 179 reptiles, 814 birds, 225 mammals and 1,673 arthropods.
President Granger’s disclosure was forthcoming yesterday during his presentation of the keynote address at the opening of the inaugural University of Guyana [UG] Diaspora Engagement Conference at the Ramada Princess Hotel, Providence, East Bank Demerara.
Even as he stressed the vastness of Guyana, the Head of State underscored that a science and technology shift is about to start. In making this disclosure, the President pointed out that “this country is on a developmental path to become a Green State.”
The Green State is a state that focuses on political actions on protecting the environment.
In order to achieve this ambitious goal, Guyana has crafted a Green State Development Strategy [GSDS] which will guide the economic and socio-cultural development over the next 15 years. The Strategy is one that has set the foundations for inclusive green economic and social growth, provided a roadmap for achieving sustainable development goals and related targets, and outlined a long term vision for a prosperous and equitable future.
The objective of the strategy is to reorient and diversify Guyana’s economy, reducing reliance on traditional sectors and opening up new sustainable income and investment opportunities in higher value adding and higher growth sectors.
As the proposed “Framework” for Guyana´s Green State development, the GSDS provides guidance on the prioritised areas to be developed. While it does not give in-depth details, it does lay out the elements to be examined and consulted upon during the course of the GSDS (April to December 2017).
The Framework shares the same spirit of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, serving as a tripod platform for economic, social and environmental safeguards. These safeguards, during the development of the GSDS, are to ensure a sustainable and fair transition to inclusive green growth and a better quality of life for all Guyanese.
The GSDS, moreover, will identify and make policy recommendations on a number of legal and institutional actions that might be carried out to allow the transition to a Green State.
The GSDS will provide a platform from which Guyana can start the transition to a diversified green and inclusive economy, and embrace sustainable development, become a leading example of a “Green State”, and serve as an inspiration to other countries in the region and world-wide.