-to improve lives in forest dependent communities
GUYANA will benefit from a European Union (EU) funded chainsaw milling project aimed at engaging stakeholders at the grassroots level to influence change and improve livelihoods in the forest dependent communities. This was revealed at a press conference held at the Forestry Training Centre in Kingston yesterday.
The 2.3 million euro project is being executed by Tropenbos International through local partners the Forestry Training Centre Incorporated and Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development. The project is being implemented in three pilot communities: Ituni, Orealla/Siparuta and the Annai District.
The stakeholders targeted include regulatory agencies, chainsaw operators, community forestry associations, traditional saw millers, all the persons who benefit along the supply chain and persons with an interest in sustainable forest management, such as the University of Guyana, natural resources NGOs etc.
Speaking on the project achievements thus far, Dr. Raquel Thomas of Iwokrama said that baseline research has been conducted to inform the project about the genesis and growth of chainsaw lumbering in Guyana and the challenges of the sub sector. She said that the consultations have been held to facilitate frank, fearless expression of views, and that there has been increasing acceptance of responsibility by stakeholders for sustainable forest management.
She said that there is growing consensus on the need for the training and certification of chainsaw operators and the need for them to practice good health and safety measures.
Dr. Thomas said that there will be skills exchanges among the three pilot communities in the production of craft from non-timber forest resources; organizational, institutional and community development in the three communities, training of chainsaw operators in the use of a variety of efficient milling technologies and educating operators in safety, felling practices, log selection and measurement and getting better value from logs.
Thomas said that chainsaw milling is a main source of income for forest dependent communities in Guyana, providing direct employment for approximately 8,000 persons. She said that although measures have been put in place by the Guyana Forestry Commission to regulate the growing sub-sector, “there remain a number of challenges, which needs to be addressed in terms of sustainable forest management and sustainable livelihoods of forest dependent communities.”
According to Dr. Thomas, the chainsaw project has been designed to achieve positive and transformative change in the forest sector through bringing together representatives with a major stake in the chainsaw milling sub-sector to identify their issues and devise and implement practical an strategic solutions for reducing levels of conflict, to introduce other economic activities and for ensuring sustainable forest management with sustainable livelihood options.
The next steps for the project will be the training in administration and governance for community forest associations, village councils and other groups, facilitating strategic planning for community groups, continuing to raise awareness and knowledge on forestry policies, laws, regulations and best practices for sustainable forest management and cooperating with the Guyana Forestry Commission, Ministry of Amerindian Affairs and other agencies on community development initiatives in the project.
The project also hopes to investigate ways in which it can support national objectives of poverty reduction and sustainable forest management within the framework of the Low Carbon Development strategy.
Godfrey Marshall of the Forest Training Centre Inc disclosed that recovery rates have been hovering at around 60 percent. He noted that if everything is done in an optimum manner then recovery rates can be as high as 80 percent, but this is subject to various factors, like the condition of the trees. He noted that chainsaw operators must be registered with the Guyana Forestry Commission but said that there is no inspection of chainsaws. Dr. Thomas noted that over the years, information from chainsaw seller indicates that sales have been on the increase.
Project Coordinator Marieke Wit said that for an effective integration of small scale logging into a low carbon economy, an open and transparent multi-stakeholder dialogue is needed on costs and benefits of a transition to low carbon development, and to jointly agree on how to make the most out of opportunities available. “Our project has started an informed multi-stakeholder dialogue to address key issues related to chainsaw milling, including its relation to the LCDS, which will benefit both the forest and the people.
Speaking on behalf of the funding agency, Alain Castermans of the European Delegation said that the chainsaw milling project is a unique one that targets all of the stakeholders of chainsaw lumbering in Guyana, in particular those directly involved in this activity and their representatives. He said that an extension on the chainsaw milling project has been positively evaluated by the EU, but a final agreement has yet to be signed. This project will also focus on working with community forest organizations and to promote viable livelihoods.