AMERINDIAN leaders of communities within the Guiana Shield countries – Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana — are concerned about the possible adverse consequences of such issues as climate change, mining and the Initiative for the Integration of the Regional Infrastructure of South America (IIRSA).

Consequently, those will be the main matters on the agenda of a five-day conference they are convening at Regency Suites Hotel, in Hadfield Street, Georgetown, from Monday to Friday next week.

At that forum, they will seek to arrive at a consensus on them and strategies, including collaborating with Governments and non-government organisations (NGOs), to protect and advance their interests in the light of those developments.

The meeting is being held in collaboration with the Amazon Alliance and the coordinating body for indigenous organisations of the Amazon Basin. Hosting it is the Amerindian People’s Association (APA) of Guyana.

Ms. Jean La Rose of the APA said Government as well as World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Conservation International (CI) have been invited to participate and the former has already indicated it will be represented.

Mining, particularly the impact of irresponsible operations on the environment of indigenous peoples is a key subject for discussion. So, too, is the possible effect of the IIRSA, which is a development plan to link South American economies through new transportation, energy and telecommunications projects.

IIRSA investments are expected to integrate highway networks, rivers, hydroelectric dams and telecommunication links throughout the region, especially in remote, isolated parts, to facilitate greater trade and create a South American community of nations.

The Takutu Bridge and the Linden-Lethem Highway are some of the local components of the IIRSA, which has been criticized, in some quarters, as having the potential to destroy the Amazon rainforest and the ecosystems that are home to indigenous peoples.

But knowledgeable observers point out that the position of Guiana Shield Amerindian leaders on climate change is likely to fit neatly into that held by the Guyana Government as advocated by President Bharrat Jagdeo.

La Rose said two staffers from the Amazon Alliance are here assisting the APA with preparations for the caucus. They are Ms. Juanita Lopez of Guatemala and Ms. Lorena Vaca of Ecuador.

It is anticipated that the local delegation will be the largest among the others expected from Suriname and French Guiana by April 12.

The Amazon Alliance, based in Washington D.C., comprises some 100 member organisations, forming a unique group for confronting environmental and cultural degradation within the Amazon.