DID you know that the National Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) is responsible for mangroves research in Guyana? This week NAREI in Focus will enlighten you about our Mangrove Restoration and Management Department.

Prior to the formation of the department, it was the Guyana Mangrove Restoration Project. This project was executed during 2010-2013 under NAREI. Following the completion of the Project phase and given the importance of mangroves to Guyana’s coastal defences, mangrove restoration and management was integrated into NAREI in 2014.

Mangroves contribute substantially to sea defence in Guyana by damping wave action and reducing wave energy, trapping sediments and stabilising shoreline substrates while playing an important role in carbon sequestration.

Guyana’s remaining standing mangrove forests are threatened by a range of natural and man-made factors. Natural threats to mangroves in Guyana include natural erosive and accretive cycles characteristic of the coastline of the Guianas (Amazon river to the Orinoco river) and large scale mud bank movements. These patterns have been well documented by researchers in Guyana as well as neighbouring countries of Suriname and French Guiana.

Originally, the Guyana mangrove belt appears to have been wide enough to recover after erosion periods (a minimum width seems to be about 200m) but the introduction of man-made factors as a result of the intensive settlement of Guyana’s coastline has allowed erosion cycles to wipe out some of the mangrove belts. Man-made factors affecting mangroves in Guyana include the direct loss of mangrove habitat as a result of land development for housing and urban development, agriculture and aquaculture and infrastructure development (e.g. canals, sea defence infrastructure, power lines etc) and widespread loss as a result of overharvesting of mangroves for raw materials such as firewood and bark and the effects of fire.

Recognition of the values of mangroves, threats and the increased risks to Guyana’s low lying coastline posed by predicted rises in sea level and the rising cost of maintenance of the sea defence structures, have prompted a commitment on the part of the Government of Guyana to the conservation, restoration and protection of the mangrove.

What are our Objectives?
* To establish the administrative capacity for the management of mangroves in Guyana
* To promote sustainable management of mangrove forest
* To establish and complete a legal framework for mangrove ecosystem management which encourages community-based participation.
* To support research and development of Guyana’s mangrove forest
* To develop effective protection and/or rehabilitation of mangrove ecosystems
* To increase public awareness and education on the benefits of the mangrove forests

What are some of our projects?
* Mangrove Restoration:
* Planting
* Monitoring
* Installation of structures
* Community Based Mangrove Management
* Public awareness and education
* Geographical Information System (GIS) database
* Use of mangrove forest for alternative livelihood
How can this department help you?
* Monitoring of mangrove forests
* Provide education on the importance of mangroves
* Facilitation of Mangrove Heritage Trail tours