The Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) on Wednesday presented land titles to four Community Forestry Organisations (CFOs) which serve communities that depend on forestry products.

According to a Government Information Agency press release the leases were presented to the Region 10 Agriculture and Forest Producers’ Association, the Aroaima Forestry Association, the Upper Berbice Forest Producers’ Association and the Ituni Small Loggers Association. They are intended to accommodate an increasing membership in the organizations.

GFC Commissioner James Singh said the government’s policy on logging has always made provisions for communities which depend on forestry resources for socio-economic development. He noted however, that this had to be done in compliance with the Social and Environmental Best Practices as well as the GFC guidelines on sustainable forestry management.

In keeping with this the GFC established CFOs about 10 years ago to ensure that communities in and around forested areas benefit from forest resources. These CFOs have elected representatives that are being managed under a constitution, registered under the Friendly Societies Act.

Singh told members of the logging communities that in order to comply with the guidelines for sustainable management, they must focus on moving away from the traditional harvesting and selling practices and invest in ‘value-added’ products. There are currently 27 CFOs which employ persons, particularly those from the hinterland communities.