-GINA

A Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) consultation which  engaged residents from Ituni, Kwakwani and its environs on Wednesday attracted the second largest attendance of the four sessions held jointly by the Guyana Forestry Commis-sion (GFC) and the Forest Products Association (FPA),  bettered only by the one held in Georgetown.

The consultation was held in the small, remote community of Ituni, most of whose residents depend on forestry activities for a living, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.

From the launch of the LCDS on June 8, government has sought to foster national awareness of the tenets of the LCDS and sub-national consultations were held in all the hinterland areas and some coastal locations.

According to GINA, the strategy has received widespread support from those who have come to understand what this visionary approach to economic development and climate change seeks to achieve.

Meanwhile, having received its legal character on Tuesday with passage of a motion on it in the National Assembly, the draft LCDS will be amended, taking into account significant contributions secured from stakeholders, and the final position paper will be prepared to be advanced at the critical Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark in December  this year.

Assistant Commissioner of Forests, Gavin Agard, in his presentation, explained that the LCDS is Guyana’s approach to propel economic development, and at the same time, positively respond to the changing global climate system.

Agard discussed the concepts of climate change and global warming, pointing out Guyana’s vulnerability to the effects of the constantly changing climatic reality and the timeliness of such a response, GINA reported.

He stressed the importance of mitigation and adaptation as the two appropriate responses  in the face of pending global catastrophe resulting from peculiar manifestations of climate change.

In support of Agard’s presentation, Senior Vice President of the FPA, Khellawan, spoke of the necessity to sensitize  stakeholders, especially those who operate directly within the framework of forestry. He noted that the forest from which many earn their living is the most important resource in the fight against climate change because of the significant percentage of above-ground terrestrial carbon absorbed by the forest.
And the fact that forest degradation and deforestation contribute a significantly high percentage of global carbon emissions, justifies government’s focus on the forest.

The awareness session, GINA noted, was interactive with many suggestions registered and questions fielded and answered. Participants were assured that their concerns will be registered with the Office of Climate Change, and both the GFC and FPA pledged to assist and support stakeholders in their quest to improve conditions.

Among other key figures in attendance were President of the FPA, Hilbertus Cort and President of the Ituni Small Loggers’ Association (ISLA), Richard James, GINA added.