Mangrove restoration of paramount importance to the Gov’t

AGRICULTURE Minister, Mr. Robert Persaud, sees the implementation of a government-led mangrove restoration project as a positive start, given the administration’s objective of developing a common goal of restoring and protecting the hardy mangrove, which, because of its inherent tolerance for salt water and complex rooting system, has the capacity to help low-lying countries like ours to mitigate the ravages of sea-level rise and climate change.

“The issue of mangrove is of paramount importance to the government, and we hope [that] through the implementation of this project and through sensitization, through public awareness… to develop a very proactive approach in this regard,” he said Friday at a discussion themed ‘Sustainable Coastal Zone Protection through Mangrove Management’ which was held at the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre on upper High Street, Kingston here in the city.

The caucus, which was essentially called to highlight the effects and importance of mangrove restoration as a buffer to the vagaries of the Atlantic, saw participation from various governmental agencies, international organisations, NGOs, and other relevant stakeholders.

Noting that his Ministry is cognisant of how diligently the Ministry of Public Works has been working to ensure the adequate restoration of the mangrove along Guyana’s coastline, Minister Persaud reported that the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) will coordinate the technical aspect of the project and that some $125M will be spent on the programme during the course of the year.

Guyana’s vulnerability, he said, has to do with the topography of its coastline, and as such, society should ensure that there is sustained protection in cultivated mangroves.

He said that it was as a consequence of what has been said about mangroves since the initial announcement of the restoration project that the forum was convened, with the intention of clarifying issues currently in the public domain as well as to instigate feedback on proposed activities.

The whole purpose to the restoration project, he said, is not just about planting mangroves, but rather about the formulation of a Code of Practice for mangrove management, public awareness, research, education and policy and legislation review.

Warning that the destruction of mangroves is illegal, Minister Persaud said: “If anyone is found doing so, legal actions will be taken against those perpetrator or perpetrators found guilty of such acts.”

Minister of Transport and Hydraulics, Robeson Benn, who was there at the meeting, appealed to the public to help protect the young mangrove plants since a lot of money has been injected into the project.

Referring to rumours going the round about relocating the city further inland as Brazil did some years ago, Minister Benn said moving from the coast is not an option, which is all the more reason the protection of Guyana’s coastline should be maintained.

“This is not an effort of [the] government alone to ensure it becomes fruitful, but rather, this is a national support… So we should see this as a national task,” he said.

NARI’s Director, Dr Oudo Homenauth, supported the argument that the mangrove plays an essential role in the protection of our vulnerable coastland, since there is currently an increased risk posed by the predicted rise in sea level. It is this prospect, he said, that has prompted a commitment by the government to restore and protect our mangrove forest as best it could.

Noting that there are significant potentials in existence to reverse the loss of mangrove forests worldwide, through the application of basic principles of ecological restoration, and ecological engineering approaches, Dr Homenauth said research has shown that the mangrove can play a significant role in carbon sequestration.

It is estimated that there are about 80,000 hectares of mangrove in Guyana, sequestering about 120,000 tonnes of carbon annually and also protecting 112 million tonnes of carbon from being released into the atmosphere.

The project came in for high praise from the European Union’s Delegate to Guyana and Head of Technical Section, Mr. Chris Ingelbrecht, and chairperson of the Mangrove Management and Implementation Committee, Ms Annette Arjoon.

Friday’s event saw participation from representatives of the Guyana School of Agriculture; the Musa Disease Management Unit; the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission; the Guyana Tourism Authority, craft producers; the Ministry of Public Works; and the Low-Carbon Development Strategy Unit. (GINA)