Self management continues to be stressed by the Mangrove Action Committee (MAC) and at the most recent consultation on the National Mangrove Action Plan 2010, last Friday, in Orealla, Region Six (East Berbice Corentyne), residents responded with enthusiasm.
The Guyana Mangrove Restoration Project (GMRP) Coordinator, Mr. Bissasar Chintamanie, explained that the increased participation from communities is expected to ensure the project’s sustainability.
He made it clear that once communities get on board to take ownership of the effort to protect, manage and restore mangroves in Guyana, sustainability will not be an issue.
Under the $100M, government-funded, GMRP, the National Mangrove Action Plan 2010 covers a three year period, 2010 to 2012.

Chintamanie noted that the MAC is looking at the long term since at the end of the three year project the main issue of the agenda will be sustainability.
The meeting in the Region Six community was attended by key representatives from the community.

Opportunities

Explored during the consultations were the opportunities that can be made available to the Orealla residents once the efforts to protect, manage and restore mangroves take strong root in the community.
Apiculture, the study of bees, and honey making was a key area of focus.
Findings by the MAC indicate that when the hives are near the mangrove forests, the honey made using nectar from the flowers of the mangroves is of a good quality.
To this end, the Project Coordinator noted that the MAC was offering support to setting up honey production operations.
According to him, assistance will not be limited to the start up, but will also include assistance to source markets for the honey produced.
Chintamanie opined that the production of honey, in particular the high quality honey that the mangroves contribute to, is a lucrative venture.
Most important, the Project Coordinator said, was that fact that once the community gets involved with such initiatives, they become keener on the protection of mangroves.
“They will take ownership of the project,” he said.
Chintamani highlighted that this was one aspect of livelihood support, a component of the National Mangrove Action Plan.

He pointed out that in other areas where the consultations were taken, several persons are already engaged in planting of the mangrove seedlings.
The Project Coordinator reiterated that self management is important and observed that this will contribute to the success of the GMRP.
In turn, the residents of Orealla made clear their intentions to be involved with the project.
However, despite their enthusiasm the consultation’s participants acknowledged that they were not very informed of the importance of mangroves.
Community Development Specialist, Mr. Paul McAdam, undertook to clear these grey areas.
Mangroves, they were told, are essentially forests that are found on the seacoast and riverside that can grow in areas of high salinity and tidal flooding.
There are seven types of mangroves, but the more popular ones are the Red, Black and White mangroves.
In Orealla the Red Mangroves are ones most evident.
Another point stressed was the legislation in place that protects mangrove forests.
Under the Sea Defence Act of 1998 destruction of mangrove forests carries a fine of $12,000 and a sentence of 12 months imprisonment.
The amended Forestry Act of 2010 also provides for penalties in the event of mangrove destruction.