MINISTER of Agriculture Robert Persaud said yesterday that Guyana’s deforestation rate is still below 50 percent of the allowable level, in response to a recent article in another section of the media.
In a statement, the Minister said that the first report on Deforestation Rates produced under Guyana’s MRVS presented the results of a series of assessments that concludes on a number of important areas. These, he said, included total forest cover within the agreed Marrakech Accord definition ranges, historical deforestation assessment across three time periods (1990-1999, 2000-2004, and 2005 to September 30, 2009), and deforestation assessment across various drivers of change, “that together derive a total deforestation rate which allows for reference to be made, to an agreed level, between Guyana and Norway under the current Agreement.”
According to the Minister, the results of these assessments allow for important conclusions to be drawn on these key findings, as each contributes to fulfilling a set of interim measures to allow for performance measurement.
Said the Minister, “Whilst one cannot influence what aspect of the report makes its way in the media, it comes without surprise that the sensational, attention-grabbing headline in the Stabroek News article of 6th November, 2010, completely bypasses the main results of the Report which is the total deforestation rate vis a vis agreed level. Instead, what the headline of the article seeks to do, is to focus on only one aspect of Year 1 deforestation rate, and asserts that the Report blames mining.”
The Minister said that the article, and more so the headline, “does not reflect a balanced perspective and its partial tone fails to capture the main results of the Report. It would be clear to objective readers of the Report, that the content in no way seeks to lay blame on any sector, but simply provides objective scientific facts on key interim measures.
He said the rate assessed in the report at 0.06 percent “is effectively more than 50 percent below the allowable level on which payment is set to be computed, a basis on which is clearly outlined in the Joint Concept Note.”
The Minister said: “This is the main finding and also one of the more all encompassing measures for the annual interim Report. However, this vital fact seems to have gotten obscured by the Stabroek News article and undermines that prominence and implication of this main finding of the Report, which is, that Guyana is fully compliant with set levels and has performed favourably in the assessment period. The importance of this rate of gross deforestation cannot be overemphasized since it allows for an important benchmark to be set, to not only inform future plans for the various natural resources sector and development programmes, but to provide an important status quo on land utilization on the whole.”

He said Government has identified the issues that are relevant to the mining sector and has taken a number of steps to address these. “Included in these efforts is the setting up of a Special Land Use Committee represented by both public and private sector
stakeholders, that provides a forum for discussions and that aims at developing workable initiatives that will safeguard the environment and at the same time the economic activities of both the forestry and mining sectors.
“This is still work in progress and areas of weaknesses regarding mining operations are expected to be corrected within the context of Guyana’s commitment to sustainable use of its natural resources,” the Minister said.
He said among two of the more fundamentally misconceptions of the report is the misconception that the first payment to the GRIF required an assessment of the gross deforestation rate and other interim measures to be completed.
“As highlighted in the Joint Concept Note, the setting up of the MRVS roadmap is the first set of requirements in relation to the performance measurements and the year 1 assessment under the MRVS is required on the October 1, 2009 to September 30, 2010 period,” he said.
He said the second misconception is with regard to the reference level.
“The set interim reference level allows for sustainable development in Guyana to continue, as Guyana’s climate change strategy expounded in the Low Carbon Development Strategy, is based on a REDD+ mechanism, and not one set against conservation or preservation,” he said.