CONSULTATIONS on Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) continue to attract substantial participation and interest from Guyanese who are given the opportunity to contribute to the policy.

Public consultations have been held in Regions One, Two, Nine and Ten, the most recent being in Muritaro and Hururu, riverine communities located in the Upper Demerara, Upper Berbice region.

Feedback about these consultations were provided to Cabinet, highlighting the positive way in which Guyanese were responding to the strategy as they continue to pose questions and clarifications.

Hururu has a population of about 560 with the majority stationed centrally in the community. Logging, and to a lesser extent farming are the main sources of employment for the community. Another small fraction of the villagers are employed directly or indirectly at the Russian Aluminum Company (RUSAL).

Many residents of Hururu, during the consultation, sought clarifications about the impact the strategy would have on logging which is the main source of employment. Meanwhile in Muritaro, located some 21 miles from Linden by river, residents were seeking clarifications on their villages opting in.

The Government Information Agency (GINA) in a statement noted that the LCDS is one which President Bharrat Jagdeo is confident will prove Guyana’s readiness to play its part in forest preservation which is at the centre of the strategy.

The strategy has been presented in draft form under the theme “Transforming Guyana’s Economy while combating Climate Change,” and has been made available to all Guyanese.

Among the key stakeholders who are targeted are the Amerindian population who constitute approximately 9.1 percent of Guyana’s population living mainly in forested areas and have to chose whether or not to opt-in on the plan.

It was proven through a study that Guyana’s 15 million hectares forests, if left standing, without affecting the economic benefits which can be derived from forestry activities, can contribute US$40B to the global economy each year.

President Jagdeo is pushing for a compensatory mechanism for countries with standing forests because of the services which these forests provide to the mitigation of climate change.

Such a proposal will be presented at the 15th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP-15) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Copenhagen later this year.