FOR the Government of Guyana, the 18 million plus hectares of pristine, tropical rain forests is “hallowed territory” and no action will be taken to jeopardise its many values that others may take for granted, President Donald Ramotar has said.The President gave the assurances while delivering a feature address at a commemorative ceremony for International Day of Forests and the Tree 2015 yesterday.

The venue was the Guyana International Conference Centre at Liliendaal. Those in attendance included Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud, Prime Ministerial Candidate for the People’s Progressive Party/Civic, Elisabeth Harper; members of the Diplomatic Corps, representatives of local and international organisations including the Foundation for Forest Management and Production Control of Suriname; the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) for Latin America and the Caribbean; saw-millers, loggers, foresters, secondary school children, staffers of the Guyana Forestry Commission and other stakeholders in the forest sector.
HAVEN OF BIODIVERSITY
During his feature address President Ramotar stressed that Guyana’s forests are an untapped haven of rich and varied biodiversity which provides innumerable environmental services that contribute to the maintenance of not only the national ecosystem but regional and global ecosystems as well.
He said: “The value of our forests is therefore unimaginable, particularly for our indigenous brothers and sisters.”
He said that even though the Government is constantly bombarded by financially sound investors to access forest land for oil palm plantations, large scale agriculture and other lucrative projects, this will not happen.
Not if it entails large scale savannah clearing of forest lands, he said.
He said that Guyana will continue to show its unwavering commitment to good forest governance as it practises sustainable, multiple use forest activities.
He said that in this vein the Government has demanded, and will continue to demand, that all large scale forest utilisation projects be done in keeping with the relevant legislation, inclusive of the requirement of a publicly transparent Environmental and Social Impact Assessment.
He added: “As we celebrate International Day of the Forests 2015, my Government pledges that Guyana will continue being a responsible nation both nationally and globally. We will however, continue to promote the sustainable use of these forests because that is unavoidable for the socio-economic development of Guyana, and the empowerment of our peoples.”

He said that the future of forests in Guyana is therefore very bright.
“Government will continue to work with our local forest industry, and other stakeholders; along with international partners, such as the Government of Norway to advance common goals regarding forests, climate change and development.”
He stressed: “As an environmentally responsible Government and people, we simply will not add to the estimated 32M hectares of forests that are lost every single year.”
Meanwhile, Minister Persaud gave numerous examples to show that Guyana is very committed to ensuring that its forest resources are used wisely for development, but in a manner that recognises the need for future generations of Guyanese to enjoy access to this resource, and Guyana’s global responsibility.
He stressed: “We have not shirked from these responsibilities even though the global community with few exceptions has reneged on its commitment to provide the necessary financial and other resources to support developing countries to maintain their forest resources while still pursuing economic development.”
He said: “On this International Day of Forests 2015, Guyana re-commits itself to the principle of sustainable utilisation of these very important forest resources for socio-economic and other development, ensuring that this is done in keeping with environmental best practices, and in a manner that contributes to combating climate change

globally.”
He added: “We join with other like-minded countries and partners in insisting that the international community and developed nations make good on their commitments, both financial and in reducing emissions of greenhouse gases to agreed levels, so that the remaining forests of the world can have, and thus be able to provide a future for us.”
Other speakers at the event included Dr. Indrajit Ramdass, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Guyana Forestry Commission; Amerindian Leader, Mr. Aubrey Samuels; member of the Foundation for Forest Management and Production Control of Suriname, Mr. Pearl Jules; Mr. Reuben Robertson of the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and Mr. Florian Pastore, and Regional Officer of the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) for Latin America and the Caribbean.

(By Clifford Stanley)