Hururu loggers told a team spearheading sub-national consultations on Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) that they were concerned that supporting the Strategy may jeopardize their livelihoods, when the latest round of meetings were hosted on Monday in the riverain community.

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds joined a team including Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai, Andrew Bishop, from the climate change office and representatives from the national Amerindian groups and the International Institute for Environment and Development for the meeting held in the Region Ten, Berbice River community. A Government Information Agency (GINA) press release said Hururu has a population of about 560 persons who are centrally located. Logging, and to a lesser extent farming are the main sources of employment. A small number of persons are also employed directly or indirectly at the Russian Aluminum Company.

Given the importance of logging to the community’s economy, residents sought clarifications about the impact implementing the LCDS would have on their livelihood. Some argued that most aspects of development require tree cutting which is contrary to the Strategy while others called for a study to be done to determine the number of stakeholders involved in the forestry sector. Another group said that there is a negative perception that loggers are the main contributors to deforestation, a point which has been proven false by the fact that Guyana’s deforestation rate is minuscule, GINA said.

In response the prime minister gave assurances that Guyana’s development path will transform the country into a low carbon economy and at the same time contribute to the mitigation of climate change effects. Additionally, the climate change office representative told the meeting that by reducing deforestation highly forested countries such as Guyana stand a better chance of not facing the extremities of climate change. “Our forests have a mutual purpose in preventing climate change,” he said. Bishop also told the group that the purpose of the LCDS is not to “lock away Guyana’s forests.”