Sustainable Land Management seen as key to Biodiversity and Climate Resilience Efforts

Oct 20, 2018 News

Executive Director of the Partnership Initiative for Sustainable Land Management (PISLM), Calvin James, says that in order for Biodiversity Protection and Climate Resilience efforts to succeed, Caribbean countries must focus their efforts on sustainably managing their land resource. He said this at a press conference, yesterday, to sensitise the public about the Caribbean’s land management efforts, through the plan that he is currently directing.
The Director referred to the three United Nations Conventions, namely the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification and the Convention on Biological diversity.
He said that these initiatives work hand-in-hand. He spoke about carbon sequestration – the process by which carbon is removed from the atmosphere and held in liquid or solid form.
This process, he posited, is imperative for the protection of the environment. James said that the sequestration of carbon depends on the proper management of land resources, since the biggest sequesters of carbon are trees. He explained that the management of the quality of land and the reduction of deforestation could benefit the Caribbean, making the region one that is a global leader in climate resilience efforts.
Similarly, he said, many of the Caribbean’s diverse wildlife species depend on the proper management of land. He said that through careful consideration of the effects of humanity’s actions on the habitat of animals and plants, CARICOM could ensure its actions don’t harm the health of, or bring about the extinction of, wildlife that is unique to the region.
Guyana stands to benefit much more than any other region from PISLM, since the country accounts for almost 50% of the region’s total landmass and a significant percentage of its wildlife. Similar to other Caribbean nations is the vulnerability of the country’s people to climate change, since most of the population and its infrastructure are situated on the Low Coastal Plain, a region which is below sea level.

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