The Mangrove Action Committee (MAC) is repeating their warning against destroying or cutting any mangrove plant without permission, following the recent discovery of a section of  mangroves being cut down in Berbice.
The site, located on the roadway to the Blairmont Launch terminal on the western side of the Berbice River, was visited by a team of Mangrove Secretariat officials.
According to a release from the MAC, concerned calls from members of the public prompted the visit.
The team was led by newly appointed Project Coordinator Dr. Simpson DaSilva and one individual was identified as being responsible for cutting down the mangroves.
The destroyed area measured approximately one hundred by fifty feet, opposite his residence and business operation.
It is illegal to cut down mangroves. Currently, under the Sea Defence Act of 1998 destruction of mangrove forests carries a fine of $12,000 and a sentence of 12 months imprisonment. Also, the amended Forestry Act of 2010  provides for penalties in the even of mangrove destruction.
According to the MAC, investigations are underway with a view towards the possible prosecution of the businessman for his actions.
The essential role that mangroves play is the defence of the coastal zone, by damping wave action and protecting coastal banks. They also have a role in carbon sequestration. In Guyana, mangroves have also been a source of raw materials and this has lead to degradation of mangrove fields despite the important ecological services they perform.
In recent decades, the mangrove belt has been severely depleted and the natural cycle of erosion and recovery is apparently in disequilibrium. Although the cycle mechanisms are poorly understood, it is generally assumed that heavy damage by humans, the loss of old groynes (constructed during colonial times but largely left to disintegrate since then), and increases in the sea level and wave energy are the principal factors explaining the depletion. Whatever the cause, the protection of mangroves is a major concern.
In recognition of this the MAC, through the $100M Guyana National Mangroves Restoration Project (GMRP), is taking steps to ensure that mangroves are protected, restored and managed.
The European Union (EU) is expected to contribute some 4.165 million euros to bolster this effort.