Government’s Big Step Forward

Jul 10, 2023 Letters

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Dear Editor,

Kaieteur News – Our Head of State has yet again spoken eloquently on a very pertinent issue, that of the mangrove situation in Guyana. The occasion was the signing of an agreement between the Government of Guyana and the European Union (EU), to establish a comprehensive programme to protect and manage the invaluable mangroves in Guyana.

The word from President Irfaan Ali is that “We have committed to expanding the protected area system from 8.3 per cent to 17 per cent, then eventually to 30 per cent. And these are targets that we are aggressively working towards. These are targets that are integrated into our planning framework, and our policymaking framework.

This amounted to Guyana’s policy framework, that prioritises environmental protection, embracing climate-smart approaches, and harnessing the country’s rich natural resources to improve livelihoods and foster economic opportunities, and where mangroves are concerned, we need to internalise that mangroves help to mitigate climate change and help people and nature adapt correspondingly.

Let me remind all that although mangroves make up less than one percent of all tropical forests around the world, they have a critical role in mitigating climate change. Why? Well mangrove soils are highly effective carbon sinks, locking away large quantities of carbon and stopping it from entering the atmosphere. In addition, they are vital in helping society adapt to climate change impacts, reducing the impact of storms and sea-level rise, hence, the resounding voice of the President.

Editor, I think many may have forgotten about the genesis of all this, but it all started as part of the EU/Guyana partnership agreement, signed at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP 27 in Egypt last year, valuing approximately 4.6 million euros. This is big. It shows the seriousness that our Government is attaching to climate concerns. After all, “Guyana’s forest spans some 18 million hectares, and the extensive mangrove ecosystems occupy over 200,000 hectares of the coastal region. According to President Ali, “One of the things that we want the project to focus on is those earthen embankment and those riverine areas, where the population might be small, but agricultural output in those areas is very large.”

In this vein, he stressed that “… the project’s scope will also include the monitoring of mangrove seedling planting, the rehabilitation of existing forests, and the establishment of robust nursery programmes for aggressive replanting efforts.”

In his forceful commentary, Dr. Ali noted that “Our entire policy architecture, our policy framework is geared around ensuring that we are adopting the best environmental practices and doing everything in a climate-smart way, in protecting the environment, advancing our natural attributes of biodiversity. But more importantly, leveraging these natural assets now for improving livelihoods, creating economic opportunity.”

For the EU’s part, the Commission’s Executive Vice President, Frans Timmermans, was elated, as he was witnessing “… Guyana’s making strides towards major development, noting that the time is only fitting for the EU and Guyana to strengthen their bilateral ties.” He explained that “One of the ways to cooperate is to help preserve this country’s natural riches which are almost without limits. This is a partnership we’ve just signed so that we can support the efforts of Guyana to strengthen the position of mangroves. Mangroves are such a huge contribution to our fights against the climate crisis.”

At this juncture, I need to reinforce the reality that Guyana is also on a pathway to capitalise on its fossil fuel industry. In fact, many have been quite critical of this now burgeoning economic sector. However, these very antagonists are willfully turning ‘blind eyes’ and ‘deaf ears’ to the world of reality, where co-existence is the name of the game.

Well, the EU Comicon highlighted that indeed “The ambition of your government, Mr. President, to make sure that Guyana in its economic development, in the development of the fossil fuel industry still maintains its high ambition for climate neutrality, and for maintenance of your natural riches is something we want to be a part of, and I hope we can elaborate very concrete measures.”

Let me expand by pointing out that even though climate change is the biggest threat the world faces, one of those tools is the conservation of mangroves. As we know, there are more than 60 different species of mangroves, all specialized to grow along waterlogged coastlines in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Mangroves are an incredible group of plants, as not only do they have a unique ability to thrive in saltwater environments, but their strong and complex root systems also protect coastal communities and landscapes from extreme weather events, like hurricanes.

I close by reminding readers that one of mangroves’ biggest strengths lies in their ability to capture and store carbon. The muddy soil that mangroves live in is extremely carbon-rich and over time, the mangroves help to not only add to this store of soil by capturing sediment but hold it, as well as the carbon in place.

Yours truly,
HB Singh.

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