UNDOUBTEDLY, we know that Guyana has been home to an abundance of flora, fauna, and wildlife, and the country has a myriad of bountiful natural resources. And without a doubt, we have tried- as much as reasonably possible- to protect these and try to harness them in sustainable ways.

In my very humble opinion, if nothing else, the one thing that all sides of the political leadership of this country have revered is our natural patrimony. We have grasped that this patrimony is essential to our very development and survival and we have tried to introduce plans and strategies to harness these in the best possible ways.

World Environment Day was observed recently, and as usual, when these days are observed it reminds us about the importance of things we might usually take for granted. And I think the environment and its importance is often overlooked.

Take the recent Waikin Ranch fire for example. This incident caught my attention because of some heartbreaking photos I saw posted on Facebook showing some animals gravely affected. There were burnt turtles, snakes, and an injured Tamandua. Exacerbating the situation was that it was shown that their habitat- the bush island- was ravaged, which means that those surviving would have been forced to migrate and rebuild their lives.

It was just really heartbreaking stuff to see the animals harmed and their homes destroyed.

The fire was purportedly caused by indiscriminate fires, done by people residing in the region itself. But I later found out that this wasn’t an isolated incident. Instead, this is something that occurs quite frequently in the region, particularly during the dry season, and it causes harm to the very same species of wildlife that Guyana boasts of at the international level.

Just recently, the Department of the Environment in collaboration with the United Nations (UN) Environment presented President Granger and his Cabinet with the Green State Development Strategy (GSDS): Vision2040, which would allow Guyana to develop into a ‘Green State.’

Developing ourselves into this green state is really an ambitious venture, in my opinion, but not impossible to achieve. This vision requires even down to minute changes in our attitudes and consumption patterns; it focuses on the simple things like proper disposal of waste and reducing the use of single-use plastics (like plastic straws!) to the more complex things like achieving a system of renewable energy.

A copy of the GSDS is available online, at the Ministry of the Presidency’s website for anyone willing to learn more about this strategy that I think should really be part of our developmental trajectory. I spent some time reading it (and by reading it, I mean reading the Executive Summary) and I was impressed with the ways the agenda integrated all sectors.

Importantly, it listed the three main objectives as Managing natural resource wealth; supporting economic resilience; and building human capital and institutional capacity. What this simply means is that green development for Guyana means that everyone and everything must go green. And I’ve said this time and time again, going green isn’t just about being environmentally sound. Green development involves the balancing of sustainable development with economic development.

Now back to Waikin Ranch and the fires in the Rupununi. These areas are the places that we can boast of no matter where in the world we go. I mean, do I need to remind that we are currently the Number One Eco-destination in the world? But things like these fires threaten the sustainability of these areas; it threatens the ability of the ecosystem to survive and thrive. And we also have climate change to worry about- which is causing our dry seasons to be drier and longer.

We simply cannot afford to be negligent with our environment. We must be better guardians of the environment because the reality is that we depend on it for our survival and for our own development. Whether it’s down in the Rupununi or right at home, we have to do better. President David Granger, on the occasion of World Environment Day this year, said it best: protection of the environment is an obligation and not an option.