CLOSE to one and a half years since the cessation of lumbering activities within the Kabakaburi district in the Upper Pomeroon River, Region Two, toshoa of the indigenous community, Cleveland Simon, said hundreds continue to be affected.

Lumbering activities within the indigenous community ceased in 2016 after the village council was allegedly logging on state-owned land.

The issue started in the 1990s and continued in 2016 when the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) ordered all logging operations be ceased on the disputed territory until the matter is resolved. To date, the matter is yet to be resolved and many in the community are facing economic challenges.

According to Simon, more than 60 per cent of the community’s population is affected, since lumbering is a chief source of livelihood.

“Most of the residents depend on lumbering. They were ordered to stop harvesting; this is unacceptable and something needs to be done,” Simon said.

The toshoa has requested a land map of the village from the authorities to avoid operating outside of their community.

The matter is engaging the attention of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs, and other relevant authorities.