KABURI Village, located along the Bartica-Potaro Road in Region 7 (Cuyuni/Mazaruni) on Friday received a grant of $3.4M from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to ensure the sustainable management of the forest.

The funding will facilitate training of villagers in managing the forest, surveying and mapping, directional tree felling and log conversion at stump.
It will also facilitate the development and adoption of a five-year timber harvesting plan for the village.
The Kaburi Village Council signed the Grant Agreement with the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) that provides financing directly to civil society, community-based and non-governmental organisations to design and implement projects that will bring environmental and livelihood benefits to communities.
The SGP is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and executed by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).

Sustainable livelihoods

The SGP also seeks to generate sustainable livelihoods, reduce poverty and create community empowerment, the UNDP Guyana office said.
Kaburi, with a population of 275 people, primarily Akawaio and Patamona descendants, occupy an area of 41.57 square miles.
The village was established in 1935 and recently received its land title from the Government of Guyana.
Some residents are involved in small scale timber harvesting and the Kaburi Village Council had requested UNDP/GEF/SGP assistance to implement a forest management project they can sustain in the village.
The agreed project is to last six months and will, through training, empower villagers to assure the sustainable managing of the village forest resources and mitigate the effects of timber harvesting on the environment, the UNDP stated.