The Iwokrama International Centre (IIC) is ahead of six other sites in the Guianas in moving forward with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Guiana Shield Initiative (GSI) Project, Chairman of the project’s Steering Committee, Major General (Rtd) Joseph Singh says.
He made the remarks at a public forum hosted by the IIC in collaboration with other agencies on ‘Communities and Ecologically Sustainable Development’ at the Pegasus Hotel on Wednesday evening.
Meantime, Director of Resource Management and Training at the IIC, Dr Raquel Thomas said, in relation to the project, they are currently monitoring and gathering data. Speaking with Stabroek News she recalled that the Centre had signed two contracts with the UNDP, one specifically for the monitoring of the three identified services (water, biodiversity and carbon) and the other for the development of a benefit sharing mechanism “for if we ever get into this whole process of selling ecosystem services”.
The latter aspect also covers educational awareness and topic awareness, as, according to Dr Thomas, many persons locally do not know a lot about eco-system services. She said that a lot of work needs to be done to build awareness including the training of persons. She noted that education and training are important to manage those systems and businesses that can come out of those initiatives.
The monitoring aspect involves doing reviews and collecting baseline studies among others. The data being gathered currently will be used to make a comparison against what was there initially. Dr. Thomas explained that if such services are to be sold, it must be maintained. “Because if you are trying to sell a service and it gets degraded along the way, it means that the value has been degraded…it’s not fair to a buyer, its almost like a loss, so that is why monitoring is an extremely important component and it has to continue”.
She said that IIC was proceeding with its work plan and the information being gathered is to be shared and by December “we’ll have a good sense of where we are”. The Iwokrama Director noted that work would have to continue after so as to be able to see the impacts. She declared that the monitoring will not end and will be integrated into the Iwokrama Monitoring Programme. She said that after monitoring and gathering data, the Centre will be able to provide information on the resources and the status of the eco-system service. In the longer term, Thomas said, monitoring is important for ensuring that the service is kept intact. The current project will end in December, Thomas said.
In her main presentation, Thomas asserted that mining is a concern pointing out that with the help of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, some miners who began operating in a river bordering the Iwokrama Reserve, had to be removed last year. In discussions too about the Rupununi region and its vast bio-diversity, and its potential for tourism, Singh said that mining claims had been allocated in the Rewa River. This he described as “a travesty”.
Wednesday’s forum is part of a series to raise public awareness on the projects and issues that affect the environment, communities and
and it will be continuing.
In 2007, when the GSI Project, Phase 11 was launched, it was stated that it is funded in the amount of 2.243M Euros with the sponsors being the European Union, the Dutch Government, the UNDP and the IUCN National Committee of the Netherlands. In Guyana, the Iwokrama forest was selected for the pilot study. Other countries in the project are Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Suriname and French Guiana.
The project aims to promote the sustainable development of the Guiana Shield by means of an integrated
eco-region management framework and to enable the six countries and their associated local communities to benefit from their natural resources. Project activities focus on pilot projects for testing of mechanisms for compensation for the provision of environmental services, as well as culturally appropriate management contracts, benefit sharing and monitoring schemes.
It hopes to establish a regional balance of payment system for environmental goods and services, build on regional capacity to deliver and maintain environmental goods and services, provide a tool for poverty alleviation by protecting the ecosystems of the region and contribute to the creation of a collaborative eco-regional management framework.
The project also seeks to increase public awareness on the importance of maintaining ecological and cultural integrity of the Guiana Shield eco-region.
The Guiana Shield Initiative has its origins in 1989, with the establishment of the European Working Group on Amazonia. The GSI was launched in 1993 by the European Parliament and the IUCN National Committee of the Netherlands was named as partner to maintain the ecological and associated cultural integrity of the Guiana Shield eco-region by means of compensation for ecosystem services.
