Guyana was earlier this month represented at the Guianas Regional Man-grove Ecosystems Training Workshop, held in Suriname, at which expertise on mangrove management and conservation was shared.
The workshop, organised by WWF Guianas, together with Stichting SORTS Suriname and the Mangrove Action Project (MAP) and funded by the SRJS programme, was held in Coronie, Suriname from May 6 to 10, 2019.
The country was represented by participants from the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), World Wildlife Fund Guyana, the Civil Defence Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, Guyana Forestry Commission, Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, the University of Guyana and the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Sea & River Defence Division, a NAREI release said.
The attendees formed part of a group of over 25 participants, who also hailed from Suriname and French Guiana.
It was noted by Kene Moseley, Coordinator of NAREI’s Mangrove Restoration and Management Department, and one of the participants at the workshop, that the event provided a platform for networking and knowledge sharing, as well as lit the way for future collaborations.
It was stated that the forum, which allowed subject experts from the region and other countries to share information during theoretical and practical field sessions, saw three presentations being made by NAREI. They included Moseley’s presentation on Guyana’s mangrove restoration experience and the livelihood component; Monitoring and GIS Officer Zola Narine’s presentation on migratory and shore birds; and a presentation from Rudolph Adams, Monitoring Officer, who was part of a discussion focused on mangrove restoration and monitoring.
Moseley explained, according to the NAREI release, that not only did each country present on the status of mangrove management and conservation in their territories, as well as the challenges faced in these areas, but also noted that French Guiana presented information on mud bank movement, which is important to the work currently being undertaken by NAREI as part of its ongoing restoration programme. As a result, NAREI, in association with the University of Guyana, is now expected to collaborate with an expert in the area, Professor Edward Anthony, to build knowledge and capacity, the release stated.
Additionally, Mosely related that Suriname is in the process of conducting a pilot study on trapping sediments using similar technologies to that of NAREI. This, she believes, presents a good avenue for information sharing and collaboration.
