OFFICIALS of the Works Services Group in the Ministry of Public Works and the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) yesterday visited mangrove restoration sites at Hope and La Bonne Intention (LBI), East Coast Demerara, to collect data.
On board with the Guyana Mangrove Restoration Project (GMRP), they are expected to wrap up the exercise in a few days and put stakeholders in a better position to map and assess the state of mangrove forests in Guyana.
Under the GMRP, the National Mangrove Management Action Plan (NMMAP) provides for the engagement of a geographic information system (GIS) expert to implement the mapping and inventory component.
GFC, engaged such an expert, earlier this year, through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU), has the technical personnel and knowledge base in-house to effectively do the mapping and inventorising.
The MOU will also facilitate capacity building of GFC personnel and feed into the long term sustainability of mangrove management.
Prior to the data collection, GFC commenced preliminary mapping of mangrove forests along the coastline, starting in Region Five (Mahaica/Berbice).
Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) is also being partnered, through another MOU, to facilitate data sharing, in particular images of Guyana’s coastline in Regions Five and Six (East Berbice/Corentyne).
The NMMAP presents a concise overview of the key issues related to the sustainable management of national mangrove forests and the associated guidelines presented have been identified as imperatives, to restore, rehabilitate and protect mangrove belts wherever they exist.