THE effort to protect, restore and manage Guyana’s mangrove forests continues and the Mangrove Action Committee (MAC), under the Guyana Mangrove Restoration Project (GMRP), recently launched the Victoria Site Community Mangrove Action Group. According to a release from the MAC, this move comes after a community meeting at Victoria Village last weekend.
The Victoria Mangrove Action Committee is headed by Chairman of the Neighborhood Democratic Council (NDC), Bertie DeWeeve, and six other villagers are on board. The group includes representatives of the private sector, religious bodies and both government and non-governmental organizations.
The group, in partnering with the MAC, is expected to provide support in preserving, restoring and managing mangrove eco-systems in their environment.
“They indicated that they are willing to become involved in anti-littering campaigns, monitoring and enforcement, development of alternative livelihoods, mangrove site development and increased community awareness on the importance of mangroves,” the release said.
The release noted that the MAC is moving forward with the support of Community Development Specialist, Mrs. Elsie Croal.
Croal assured support from the GMRP in the form of training of members so they could be effective in the execution of their duties, whilst ensuring the sustainable use of mangroves.
Also, Project Coordinator Dr. Simpson Da Silva contends that participation is welcome from all residents who are interested in supporting the effort to restore, rehabilitate and protect mangrove belts wherever they occur, as part of overall forest protection.
The next community consultation is to be held at the Lusignan Community Center on Wednesday at 17:00hrs.
The MAC release indicated too that training is provided to residents of the communities where planting of mangrove seedlings are done.
This is to ensure that those interested in becoming suppliers can earn an income from this service.
To date, over 55,000 mangrove seedlings, according to the MAC, have been replanted at Hope Beach, Mon Repos, Triumph, Beterverwagting and LBI, covering a 2.8km stretch.
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 led 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 at 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 sea level and wave energy are the principal factors explaining the depletion. Whatever the cause, the protection of mangroves is a major concern.
The Government of Guyana’s recent inclusion of climate change considerations in public policy has been enshrined in the Low-Carbon Development Strategy (2009). A central focus here is forest conservation, including the protection of the substantial mangrove belts along the coast and estuaries.
The National Mangrove Management Action Plan, developed under the GMRP, presents a concise overview of the key issues related to the sustainable management of the national mangrove forest. The associated guidelines presented have been identified as national imperatives for the protection and sustainable management of 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.
And the amended Forestry Act of 2010 also provides for penalties in the event of mangrove destruction.