Benefits to forestry sector among issues raised at low carbon consultation

The “critical question” of how those in the forestry sector will benefit from payments made through Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) was among several issues raised as foresters aired their concerns and offered suggestions on the plan at a consultation yesterday.

Robert Persaud
Robert Persaud

Several dozen saw millers, concessionaires and others involved in the industry gathered at the Regency Hotel to air their views at a Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) and the Forest Products Association (FPA) of Guyana supported consultation on the LCDS for those involved in the sector.

“While we recognize change is inevitable… we will advise and advocate that the rate of change is to be manageable. We must recognize that it’s all a matter of becoming adaptable and [that] is a progressive exercise and we need to take that onboard. We do not expect that, come a given period of time, we expect to fully adopt a certain standard. It needs to be progressive,” said Mohindra Chand, a Junior Vice President of the FPA. Many of the concerns raised, he said, are shared by other stakeholders.

While some persons raised industry-specific issues, others took a broader view and even wondered whether the LCDS was feasible. The question of the LCDS not being taken on board by the international community and consequently Guyana not getting any money was tackled by Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud, who said that if the international community does not buy into strategy, “this will not change our resolve to insist and ensure that we have sustainable forest management.”

Persaud, the feature speaker, said that Guyana’s reputation is being invested in the strategy adding that the country has a legacy of firm commitment to sustainable use of natural resources. He pointed out that the forestry sector currently earns just about US$60M per annum while, as envisaged by the LCDS, the economic value of the forest could see returns of US$580M per annum to Guyana.

But, in presenting the FPA’s preliminary outlook of the LCDS, Chand said that it must be more people-centred bringing clear socio-economic benefits for Guyana. It represents a good starting point but has many issues to be examined, he stated. The FPA vice-president outlined several expectations of the sector including more facilitating and less policing particularly during the embryonic stages of the LCDS and more emphasis into understanding why certain breaches regularly occur and find amicable means of addressing these. “In no way we want to be labeled as a criminalized sector”, he stated.

He also called for more timely inspections as well as greater control, regulation and general coordination between mining and forestry activity. In this light, he pointed to the incomplete national land use plan, asserting his belief that the LCDS will force the completion of this. Chand said that there needs to be greater recognition of the forestry sector’s sustainable practice over the centuries and this is not credited to the GFC alone while there should be open revision of forestry management practices. He said that the FPA should benefit from capacity building to become more effective in representing the sector. He outlined several other expectations including marketability of forest products, stating that at the end of the day it is all about money.

But there are constraints, the FPA vice-president noted. He declared that sustainable forest management applications over the years have failed to address the economic factor while also noting the imposition of incompatible first world standards with Guyana’s current or foreseeable capacity. In this regard, he pointed to the Forest Stewardship Council and said that such standards need to be looked at carefully before being “taken wholesale”.

Chand declared that forest procedures and regulations are seen as already too rigid so to apply more stringent procedures will result in increased conflicts and create negative economic impacts. This point cannot be overemphasized, he asserted. Further, he said, the LCDS will expose the sector to greater international pressures, which will filter down to operators. He declared that there is an over-emphasized effort against logging practices pointing out that deforestation here is below one per cent. The forest is not uniform hence some flexibility should apply, he stated, further adding that small and medium-scale operators feel most vulnerable resulting from the implementation of the LCDS. Among others, he stated, the LCDS talks about confidence building at the international level but the forestry is in need of the same.

“There is a great lack of trust,” he commented. The McKinsey and Norwegian reports need to be made public, he stated and the rate of change needs to be manageable to become progressively adaptable.

Among the questions, Chand asked, were how will the sector benefit from payments made by the international community and what if Guyana receives no money from the LCDS at the end of the exercise. Other questions that the FPA will be presenting to the LCDS Secretariat include whether productive forest areas that have already been allocated will be reduced or repossessed and also compensation.

In an interactive session, participants raised the issue of how the forests will be valued. Hamley Case suggested that the area below the fourth parallel, (in the Apoteri area) be dedicated to the strategy as opposed to the area currently under consideration. He also declared that the government is selective about climate change and global warming and noting that it has been predicted that the Atlantic is rising, he said that there is nothing in the LCDS that caters for this eventuality. This point was also echoed by a few others.

Another suggested that the issue could be a “flavour of the month” or the “flavour” for the next five years and questioned whether it can work out.
The disconnect between foresters and miners was underscored as the participants declared that miners were responsible for several unsustainable practices.
Commissioner of Forests James Singh sought to re-assure the stakeholders while pointing out that all policies will have to be revised. He noted that 50% of state forests are unallocated and being held in abeyance pending the Copenhagen summit and whether the plan will be realized, and said that if it is not, then the forests will be open up for utilization under sustainable forest management guidelines.

One participant raised the issue of a development bank for the private sector to free up the cost of capital. He has not seen anything like that mentioned in the document, he noted.

The FPA plans to meet the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association, the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association and hold other consultations in outlying areas. The organization’s position on the LCDS will then be submitted to the government.