Dear Editor,
The Ministry of Natural Resources notes the comments of Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo with regard to the Government of Guyana’s stewardship of our country’s natural patrimony, particularly its 18.5 million hectares of forests, and thanks him for the opportunity to highlight our strategies to develop Guyana’s economy sustainably for current and future generations, based on the strategic advantages our natural resources provide. We intend to build a truly Green Economy, expanding on the previous government’s attempt at a Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), to build a prosperous nation where all the Guyanese people benefit from responsible stewardship of our national heritage.
Far from closing off development opportunities, the conservation of an additional 2 million hectares will bolster our economic development, rather than hinder it. The world has changed and the value of our forests to mitigate climate change has created a new value for our standing forest. And more than that, by protecting the coastal conservancies and their watersheds we protect our coastal farmers; conserving rivers’ headwaters will help us weather the droughts that we know will be a part of climate change. President David Granger’s commitment to create protected areas for recreation and education in each of our 10 regions will contribute to an improved quality of life for all Guyanese. The expansion of Guyana’s National Protected Area System (NPAS) also provides the basis for expanding nature-based tourism, one of the fastest growing industries in the world, and one in which Guyana has many competitive advantages.
Furthermore, the conservation of 2 million hectares not only helps us meet our commitments to emissions reduction under the Paris Accords and our REDD+ agreement with Norway, but also our long-standing commitment to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, (UNCBD) (signed by Guyana in 1992 and ratified in 1994 with bipartisan support.) We are currently one of the last nations in South America to meet the UNCBD commitment ‒ to conserve 17% of our land area by 2020. If we include the Wai Wai community-owned conservation area at Konashen we currently stand at 8.3% conserved, and two million additional hectares will get us to the 17% target.
We would be happy to be inclusive in our decision-making and urge Mr Jagdeo to respond to his constitutional responsibility to nominate individuals to serve on the respective state boards for natural resource management. Unlike in the past, these boards are fully functional entities that have control and decision-making authority over their respective agencies and commissions. They also provide input on policy, and the Government of Guyana is fully respectful of their critical role and contribution.
The general public will be happy to know that, except for the nominees the Opposition Leader is still to name, the boards are fully constituted, inclusive of representatives from across the political spectrum.
Yours faithfully,
Raphael G C Trotman, MP
Minister of Natural Resources
