–‘Undiscovered-Guyana’ to be used as branding tool for fledgling tourism industry

IT comes at quite a hefty price, but from all accounts, it’s a good read and it’s worth every penny it costs.The item at reference is the book “Undiscovered-Guyana” which, along with an accompanying video, was launched on Sunday at the Herdmanston Lodge in Queenstown, Georgetown.

In retrospect, it was the culmination of what started as the germ of an idea coming out of a discussion among officials of the Ministry of Natural Resources, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and President David Granger, whose vision of educating Guyanese and the world at large about Guyana’s greatest treasures is no secret.

As Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, would observe at the launch: “This book will promote awareness and pride in Guyana’s rich and varied landscapes, while serving as a branding tool to build interest in Guyana as a tourism destination.”

The idea was not just to entice potential visitors in search of a place where they can experience intact nature, diverse wildlife, alluring culture and a people who are authentically welcoming, but to also showcase and promote Guyana’s efforts at balancing its ecological footprint with the planet’s bio-capacity, while maintaining a healthy biodiversity.

It was also meant to serve as a reminder to those of the older generation of the wonders that are here, and imbue in the younger ones a deep appreciation of those wonders.
Said Minister Trotman, “With this love, and a renewed sense of ownership, the photos must inspire the natural urge to protect, maintain, and wisely use what we are so privileged to have.”

Speaking later with WWF’s Country Manager Aiesha Williams, the Guyana Chronicle learnt that “Undiscovered-Guyana” is essentially a bounded collection of roughly 300 photographs that display the stunning beauty and rich diversity of Guyana’s landscapes and places.

The photographs document the range of natural landscapes over which men and women, through millennia, have carved out and erected places for their own habitation in a shared space, sometimes not respectfully so.

It also portrays Guyana’s ethnic diversity, with its range of Indigenous settlements, varied architecture and farms, and representative places of worship; and documents Guyana’s industries — from fishing boats to sugarcane fields, from gold and bauxite mines to Rupununi cattle ranches, and an offshore oil venture.

Both book and video, she said, are a reflection of the complete path upon which the new Guyana is embarking — a path of sustainable use of our resources in keeping with our commitment to a ‘green’ economy and the Paris Climate Change Agreement which the President signed in April.

Bringing this vision to fruition, Williams said, required the support of a range of collaborators, including the Guyana Defence Force (GDF); hence the book will be marketed at a price of $10,000, and can be purchased at various books stores across the country. It will also be available in hotels and other tourism destinations, but the video will be available Online for the world to see for free.

The WWF has a long association with Guyana, going back to 1977 with sea turtle conservation, and later moving to work in the area of sustainable development programmes by focusing on forestry, among other extractive sectors. Of late, its activities are geared towards supporting REDD+, protected areas, nature-based tourism, sustainable fisheries and marine conservation, environmental governance, the phasing out of mercury, and better practices in small and medium-scale gold mining.

(Navendra Seoraj)