Barama Chairman bemoans misinformation about company

http://www.kaieteurnewsgy.com/headlines.htm

Barama Chairman bemoans
misinformation about company
Kaieteur News, 31 May 2007


The lack of investigative journalism has led to misinformation and
information being misdirected about Barama Company Limited, says
Chairman of the logging company, Girwar Lalaram.

Lalaram made the comment on Monday during a visit to the company's
Buckhall operation in the Essequibo River.

In an effort to become more transparent, the company sponsored a field
trip. Among those who visited the operations were critics and various
stakeholders as well as the media.

“Some people have ASI (Accreditation Services International) report to
Barama, when the ASI report is related to SGS (Surveillance for General
Society) and so there was total confusion at the press level because
there was no investigative journalism on this particular issue,”
Barama's Chairman said during a briefing at Buckhall.

He said that it must be recognised that the company is also being
scrutinised internationally.

“We have taken this bold initiative of bringing to the forestry
operations in Guyana, the highest form of forest management….the
rigours of that is by far greater than the code of practice that now
exists under the Guyana Forestry Commission,” he said.

The Chairman admitted that the company may have slipped after obtaining
the certificate.

According to Lalaram, instead of people encouraging Barama by saying
“hey, we want to know what happened, we want to see you back on track
as quickly as possible,” they instead, he said, criticised the company.

“We want Barama to be the model, because we are the biggest player in
this industry…if Barama fails I don't think that anyone else will take
this approach to bring the highest standards of forestry practices in
Guyana,” Lalaram added.

The Chairman said that the company will continue to conduct tours such
as the one on Monday so as to continue with ‘openness and transparency'
at the national and international levels because Barama has ‘nothing to
hide'.

The company came under scrutiny earlier this year when Accreditation
Services International (ASI), an international audit bureau, found
Barama and its auditor, Surveillance for General Society (SGS), lacking
at various levels following an audit last November.

As such the company's certification was suspended for three months.

The audit found that BCL has been deficient in a number of areas,
including harvesting on Amerindian reservations, logging outside its
concession, not maintaining basic health and safety requirements for
workers, lack of evidence of sustainability in harvesting, failure to
perform the relevant environmental impact assessments, and unsafe
disposal of environmentally hazardous waste.

Forest Planning Manager, Neil Chan told the media that the company has
begun many of the corrective measures so as to ensure re-certification.

He noted that although ASI's audit should not be taken as an audit done
for Barama, the company has noted the comments/observations and is
correcting the situation.

“FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) has ASI as (its) auditor. Barama has
SGS has (its) auditor, who is audited by the ASI.” Chan said.

He noted that SGS has not published a report and as such the report
that is being circulated is the ASI report.

“So you can have 101 ASI reports that speak about Barama...but
officially we have to respond to the SGS report,” Chan added.

One of the deficiencies that ASI spoke about in its report is that SGS
did not ensure that Barama had established appropriate conservation
zones and protection areas and implemented appropriate procedures to
protect these areas.

Speaking to the media about the High Conservation Value Forest, Chan
said, “In essence the entire forest in Guyana is considered High
Conservation Value Forest and in our area, what we have done, we have
brought in an expert consultant to do an assessment on what is to be
considered as conservation value forest areas within our concessions.”

He said that High Conservation does not mean that there should be no
activities in that particular area, but its management is what matters.

“We have defined certain critical areas, which we have addressed and we
have also mapped them out and this has been done to an extent where we
have gone way beyond our area,” Chan noted.

The Conversation Zones, he noted, are part of the operation areas.

“We do not have a well laid out plantation forest to work with…It's not
a perfect environment we work in…It is very difficult.”

He admitted that there are a few cases of breaches but the important
thing is that it is not systemic.

“When the auditors were here (in Guyana) they visited several of the
buffer zone areas,” Chan informed.

According to him, one of the areas visited has a slight deficiency.

At present, he said, monitoring in all the areas has improved so there
should not be any recurrence of deficiencies.

Another area, which the ASI reported on, was SGS's failure to ensure
those containers, of liquid and solid non-organic waste including fuel
and oil, be disposed of in an environmentally appropriate manner at
off-site locations.

The company has since taken measures to address this issue. Storage
facilities have been renovated and new systems have been put in place.

Accommodation for workers is another area that the company is
addressing.

SGS has since appealed some of the non-conformities that ASI stated in
its report.

Failure to demonstrate compliance with all the major non-conformities
within the specified period will result in a report to the FSC
Executive Director recommending disciplinary action against the
company.

Close the loopholes

http://www.guyanachronicle.com/letters.html

Close the loopholes
Guyana Chronicle, 31 May 2007

IN YOUR issue of May 29, 2007, you quote Minister Robert Persaud as
saying at his meeting with Region Six forestry stakeholders on May 28
that:

“So this notion that we are over-foresting, over-exploiting and
chopping down logs while the Guyana Forestry Commission and nobody is
doing anything is just a myth because the records are there for us to
see,” the minister told the gathering. This repeats the minister’s
assertion which you published on December 9, 2006.

Every logger knows that you cannot speak of trees in the aggregate. If
a logger or tree spotter did not have to search among the over 1,000
species in the Guyana forest for what they call ‘merchantable’ species,
then there would certainly be no over-harvesting at current rates of
harvesting of much less than 20 cubic metres per hectare.

In the case of Guyana, however, the records show that a very small
number of species make up the large proportion of trees cut and
exported. Purpleheart, for example, is estimated to make up 1 per cent
of the standing stock of Guyana’s forests. Yet this one species
comprises 30 per cent of annual exports by log volume.

It is on account of this selective over-harvesting of a few commercial
or ‘merchantable’ species that the GFC’s Code of Practice for Timber
Harvesting (2nd Edition, November 2002) stipulates the following:

“Sustained yields can only be ensured if a minimum stocking is retained
after logging for each individual desirable species [emphasis in
original]. GFC recently developed growth and yield models that can
assist in determining the number of trees that can be felled per ha as
well as the minimum size (diameter) for each individual species. This
means that individual tree-marking rules need to be developed for each
particular forest type under different stand conditions” (p. 8).

Minister Persaud’s assertions also beg the question: if logging is
being done sustainably in Guyana, why then is the Barama Company not
able to source all the trees it cuts and exports from its own 1.6
million hectare concession? Why is the Barama Company illegally logging
in an additional 408,000 hectares of public forests ostensibly held by
other forest concessionaires and titled Amerindian communities?

The minister refers to the very long-delayed GFC Bill and Act being
taken to Parliament in the upcoming months.

I do hope that the draft Forests Act will be thoroughly revised to
close loopholes against illegal and unsustainable logging and against
speculative trading in harvesting concessions over the national forest
patrimony.

JANETTE BULKAN

A very small number of species of timber make up the bulk of exports

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56521370

A very small number of species of timber make up the bulk of exports
Stabroek News
Thursday, May 31st 2007

Dear Editor,

I wish to comment on a press report in the Guyana Chronicle of May 29,
2007 (Over-exploitation of forests a myth - Minister Persaud), in which
Minister Robert Persaud is quoted as saying at his meeting with Region
6 forestry stakeholders on 28 May: "So this notion that we are
over-foresting, over-exploiting and chopping down logs while the Guyana
Forestry Commission and nobody is doing anything is just a myth because
the records are there for us to see."

This repeats the Minister's assertion which was also published in the
Guyana Chronicle on December 9, 2006.

Every logger knows that you cannot speak of trees in the aggregate. If
a logger or tree spotter did not have to search among the over 1,000
species in the Guyana forest for what they call 'merchantable' species,
then there would certainly be no over-harvesting at current rates of
harvesting of much less than 20 cubic metres per hectare.

In the case of Guyana, however, the records show that a very small
number of species make up the large proportion of trees cut and
exported. Purpleheart, for example, is estimated to make up 1 percent
of the standing stock of Guyana's forests. Yet this one species
comprises 30 percent of annual exports by log volume.

It is on account of this selective over-harvesting of a few commercial
or 'merchantable' species that the GFC's Code of Practice for Timber
Harvesting (2nd Edition, November 2002) stipulates the following:

"Sustained yields can only be ensured if a minimum stocking is retained
after logging for each individual desirable species [emphasis in
original]. GFC recently developed growth and yield models that can
assist in determining the number of trees that can be felled per ha as
well as the minimum size (diameter) for each individual species. This
means that individual tree-marking rules need to be developed for each
particular forest type under different stand conditions" (p. 8).

Minister Persaud's assertions also beg the question: if logging is
being done sustainably in Guyana, why then is the Barama Company not
able to source all the trees it cuts and exports from its own 1.6
million hectare concession? Why is the Barama Company illegally logging
in an additional 408,000 hectares of public forests ostensibly held by
other forest concessionaires and titled Amerindian communities?

The Minister refers to the very long-delayed GFC Bill and Act being
taken to Parliament in the upcoming months. I do hope that the draft
Forests Act will be thoroughly revised to close loopholes against
illegal and unsustainable logging and against speculative trading in
harvesting concessions over the national forest patrimony.

Yours faithfully,

Janette Bulkan

Akawini forces Barama to withdraw from concession

Akawini forces Barama to withdraw from concession
http://www.kaieteurnewsgy.com/headlines.htm
Kaieteur News, 30 May 2007


Amidst hostility, Barama Company Limited yesterday pulled out its
operations from Akawini, an Amerindian Village in the Pomeroon, in
Region Two.

Yesterday, Chairman of Barama, Girwar Lalaram, visited the community to
meet with residents in the wake of protests by the residents over
Barama's operation there.

Upon his arrival at the Akawini Primary School, several residents
lifted placards protesting the company's presence in the community.

As if set for battle, the furniture in the school were separated into
sections allowing villagers to sit on one side and the officials from
Barama on the opposite side.

With that margin being set, village Captain, David Wilson, who seemed
irritated, began the meeting asking Barama officials to clearly state
their case.

Mr Lalaram took the decision to withdraw from the community after he
was told in no uncertain terms that the residents and Council did not
want the logging company there.

Mr Lalaram stated that the company has dealt with Amerindian
communities in the past. He noted that those relationships have been
beneficial to the lives and standards of the people of those
communities.

“In no way, Barama operating in the Akawini and St. Monica, will ever
attempt to cheat you, to deny you of whatever we are supposed to
deliver to the people and Council of Akawini and St. Monica. I stand
very firm on that,” Lalaram said.

He noted that from what he had learnt, Interior Wood Product
Incorporated (IWPI), with whom Barama has a sub-contract, was supposed
to fulfill some social activities in the area.

These activities included housing, education and helping the community
to build recreation and other facilities.

Lalaram reiterated yesterday that his company will fulfill all the
promises that IWPI failed to execute.

“I would like the Captain and the people of Akawini to tell me what was
promised and I will ensure that those are delivered fully within the
shortest possible time to the communities,” Lalaram stated.

On the issue of employment, he noted that he was told that 54 persons
are employed from the village of Akawini.

He however stated that those persons are in camps in other areas around
Guyana and not at the operation in Akawini.

“I do not know that exact number of people now working in Akawini with
Barama. I am willing to make the investment in the people of the two
villages that are trainable…to train them to work for Barama,” the
Chairman stated.

Lalaram also told the gathering that Barama will not pay any person
below the national minimum wage.

“If they work overtime the standard labour regulation applies where
they are given one and half times the daily wage. If they work through
lunch they are supposed to be provided with a meal allowance. If they
work beyond the work time in the afternoon then they will be given a
meal allowance.

“From a national labour perspective we will comply with all the
regulations,” he noted.

He added that from his last discussion with the company's Forest
Planning Manager, who attended a council meeting, he was informed that
the Council had taken a decision not to maintain any relationship with
IWPI.

“I stand firm, I will have nothing to do with IWPI. They have written
to me indicating very clearly that they are going to challenge Barama
in court... but that is a different issue. If the people of Akawini and
St. Monica decide that they don't want IWPI, IWPI is out… It is now
your decision whether you want to continue to work with Barama or you
don't want to work with Barama,” Lalaram added.

He stated that he is willing to remodel the agreement between the
people from the two villages to reflect certain social commitments and
responsibility to the community and the people of Akawini and St.
Monica.

“Whether you take a position that you want Barama or not, I will be
donating a computer and printer to the children of Akawini and another
computer and printer to the children of St. Monica,” Lalaram stated.

The Captain stated that when IWPI went to Akawini, “we were like ants
and they were like sugar and my people love sugar and they make a lot
of promises and now today our lives are being threatened.

“It was clearly stated on the contract with IWPI that if IWPI wanted to
sub-contract to anyone other person they must consult with the
residents and Council of Akawini,” he said.

He noted that this was not done and IWPI has been lying to the village
council from the inception.

“They have misrepresented my dear Minister of Amerindian Affairs and
even the Ministry of Forestry was misrepresented and now you coming
here and tell me that everything will be cleared up this far? It
can't,” he said to Lalaram.

Following the decision to withdraw, Deputy Captain, Rudolph Wilson
demanded that the company pay compensation to the residents.

“The Barama Company is using us for cutting of the logs and they are
taking it out and they are paying us near nothing and so we are
demanding that the company compensate us for every log that they have
taken from our land at an export price.

We are also demanding that Barama pay us, the employees, wages they owe
to us… That Barama pay the rainforest conservation to make up for the
destruction they caused in Akawini,” the Deputy Captain said.

He noted that the village is also seeking compensation for the
disruption the company caused to their traditional and customary way of
life.

If these demands are not met, he stated, legal actions will be taken.

Speaking with the media following the meeting, the Village Captain said
that Barama is not giving the residents full employment.

“They are polluting our water. They are cutting logs and leaving them
to rot. They are bridging several tributaries of this creek, which is
damaging the water. From time to time the people will suffer from
typhoid and diarrhoea.

“When the people go for hunting in the backlands they cannot use the
water to drink because of pollution. The lives of the people are being
threatened and because of that we are saying that we don't want
anything to do with the company anymore,” the Captain said.

According to the Captain, the decision to withdraw is very welcomed by
the residents since the threats to their lives have been eliminated.

On retuning to the city, Mr Lalaram said, “I took the time to go there
primarily to bring issues to close, that was my objective. They have
put in the press that they have issues. They went to an international
forum and raised issues. My objective was primarily to discuss with
them to see a way forward. Unfortunately I could not have dealt with
the hostility. I never expected protest.

“At no time did the captain or council of Akawini even send a letter of
complaint of any issue that was raised internationally and which
Amerindian Peoples' Association put out in a recent press release.”
(Tusika Martin)

Ministers continue outreach in Amerindian villages

http://www.guyanachronicle.com/news.html

Ministers continue outreach in Amerindian villages
Guyana Chronicle, 30 May 2007

TWO Government Ministers, continuing the outreach in Amerindian
villages, have said the administration hopes to further advance living
standards in those communities through the creation of closer
partnerships with toshaos (chiefs), village councils and other
residents.

They said significant upliftment in the way of life among the
indigenous people has been noted throughout the interior and hinterland
locations, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.

GINA said Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Ms. Carolyn Rodrigues and
Minister within the Ministry of Education, Dr. Desrey Fox made the
observations while on a recent visit to Region 10 (Upper
Demerara/Berbice).

They agreed the consultative approach has brought about greater
cooperation with Amerindian leaders and changes for the better.

Passage of the Amerindian Act in February 2006 has propelled numerous
improvements in Amerindian villages and residents are now more au fait
with their rights but some, at Great Falls, were reminded of them and
the benefits by Rodrigues, GINA said.

The agency said the villagers told her their concerns include
transportation for children and the need for a primary school building
at 58 Miles, so that the 43 pupils would no longer have to walk the
long distance to 47 Miles.

Rodrigues suggested that an annex to Great Falls Primary be built, as
it would be more feasible and she promised to hold discussions with the
Regional Administration on the possibility of including the
construction in its 2008 budget.

The villagers also mentioned the necessity for a fair system in the
grant of tags for logging and the minister called on the toshao and
councillors to ensure that everyone benefits, GINA said.

GINA said Toshao Julian Williams was asked to meet the councillors and
other residents and formulate reasonable rules for governing the
community.

Rodrigues said it is very important because of reports that persons are
entering Amerindian communities and taking away resources, felling
trees and even assaulting villagers with no action being taken.

She said village councils must have proper record keeping systems as
they are essential for the daily operations and her ministry has been
sending officers into the different local government areas to train
toshaos and councillors for the purpose.

Although Great Falls previously benefited from such training, Rodrigues
said she would send the trainers there again, so that the council
members could be further educated on the process.

Minister Fox lauded the government emphasis on the development of
hinterland communities and making Amerindians better off than they have
ever been.

She said the government has been directing significant amounts of
resources for the advancement of the education system in Guyana and, as
such, opportunities should be utilised.

We want parents to forge partnerships with teachers, the Ministry of
Education and school administrators in an effort to enhance their
children’s education,” Fox explained.

Addressing the national issue of teachers shortage, she pointed out
that huge sums of money are being spent on training hundreds of
teachers and great emphasis is placed on those in the hinterland.

Fox said hundreds of teachers are currently undergoing courses at the
Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) and she exhorted parents to
make sure that their children make maximum use of the teaching being
offered, because the government is now working on achieving the goal of
universal access to secondary education as that with primary education
was achieved several years ago.

She remarked: “The government has done so much for Amerindians in this
country…we have so many new nursery, primary and secondary schools in
our communities and we should be grateful for its efforts.”

Teams to assess floods in Moraikobai

http://www.guyanachronicle.com/topstory.html#Anchor-Teams-29638

Teams to assess floods in Moraikobai
Guyana Chronicle, 30 May 2007

HEAVY rains in the hinterland continued to be the major flood threat
yesterday as teams moved to assess conditions in some badly affected
communities.

The Touchau (Chief) of Moraikobai, about 90 miles up the Mahaicony
River, reported yesterday that flash flood waters covered 21 of 80
homes in the Amerindian village, drowned farm animals and devastated
farms over the weekend.

Speaking by telephone from the village, Mr. Colin Andrews told the
Guyana Chronicle that flood waters rose sharply in the village Friday
night, entering homes in low-lying areas and forcing families to
evacuate.

He said that by early Saturday morning, flood waters had risen so high
that only parts of the roofs of those homes remained visible.

“This is the first time in recent memory we have ever experienced such
a heavy flood at Moraikobai. The water rose swiftly. It was terrible
and we are fortunate that no one drowned”, he said.

The flood was preceded by almost 96 hours of continuous rainfall and
the village had been under a heavy blanket of flood water from Saturday
through to yesterday, Andrews said.

He said that by yesterday afternoon the waters were receding and
residents had begun to inspect their farms to see what they could
salvage.

He said the situation had been reported to the Amerindian Affairs
Ministry and the Regional Administration of Region Five
(Mahaica/Berbice).

Amerindian Affairs Minister Ms. Carolyn Rodrigues told the Guyana
Chronicle yesterday that the Civil Defence Commission had been alerted
and a team is to visit to assess the conditions.

Regional Chairman of Region Five, Mr. Harrinarine Baldeo confirmed that
he also had received a report about the situation and was mobilising a
team to visit.

Meanwhile, an official said the level of the Mahaicony River by Monday
had risen some three feet over the level recorded on May 14 and was
yesterday less than a foot below the level at which it flooded
communities in late 2005 /early 2006.

Residents along the banks of the Mahaicony and Mahaica rivers said
yesterday they are bracing themselves for the inevitability of
flooding.

Mr. Tillack, a farmer at Pine Ground, Mahaicony, said by phone that
some bottom houses in the area were already under water.

He said that from his observations the Mahaicony River had risen by
twelve inches between Monday morning and yesterday afternoon.

“What else am I to say? There is nothing we can do about it,” he said.

A team of vets is scheduled to visit the Mahaicony River today
following growing numbers of complaints about the effects of the rising
waters on animals, particularly newborn calves.

“There is water already on the ground in some areas and calves are very
vulnerable to cold and disease when their mothers give birth to them
under watery conditions,” one farmer said.

Officials said that Dr. Tadesu Fantu, a vet attached to Region Five,
visited farms along the banks of the river Monday.

The follow-up team to visit the Mahaicony riverain areas today is made
up of vets from the Ministry of Agriculture.

Officials of the Mahaica Mahaicony Abary/Agriculture Development
Authority, who visited the Mahaicony River yesterday, confirmed the
rising levels and said that they were monitoring the situation almost
daily, to either minimise or mitigate the effects of the anticipated
flood there.

We were investigating a complaint of dust pollution and noise by a furniture manufacturer

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56521229


We were investigating a complaint of dust pollution and noise by a
furniture manufacturer
Tuesday, May 29th 2007

Dear Editor,

Please permit me to respond to the article in Kaieteur News of
Thursday, May 24, 2007 in the Freddie Kissoon Column on "Powerful
Nations and Powerless Ones" and more specifically on the aspects
regarding the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The article
contains a number of misinformation and misrepresentations which I wish
to correct.

As far as we are aware, the EPA was not a regime imposed on Guyana nor
was it established as a condition to access aid. The Government of
Guyana took a conscious and independent decision to establish the
agency as a regulatory institution to, inter alia, take steps that are
necessary for the effective management of the natural environment, so
as to ensure conservation, protection and sustainable use of its
natural resources and to prevent or control environmental pollution.

The Environmental Protection Act (1996) gives the EPA the authority to
coordinate the environmental management activities of all persons,
organizations and agencies. As such, the EPA can regulate any activity
within Guyana's environment that has an impact on the environment. It
does not matter if the activity is funded or managed by local or
international organizations - there is no exception.

The EPA, in accordance with its mandate of ensuring the effective
protection and management of the environment, engages in fieldwork,
which encompasses the entire country. To be effective in its operations
the agency, like many other organizations, must have the necessary
human, financial and physical resources at its disposal. Adequate
transportation facilities are absolutely necessary for an organization
such as the EPA. Contrary to the misinformation provided by Mr Kissoon,
the agency has only three vehicles equipped for carrying out its
fieldwork. The agency also has three other old vehicles, one of which
is unserviceable and the other two are rapidly approaching
unserviceable condition, which we sometimes use in our day-to -day
division, located away from our Main Office at Earl's Avenue,
Subryanville and which must have transportation facilities for its
operations. One of our vehicles was obtained through funds made
available by the Inter-American Development Bank, under the
Environmental Management Programme - Phase 11 and the one used by the
Natural Resources Management Division was purchased with funds provided
by the Federal Republic of Germany, under a KfW Small Grants Project.

We wonder where Mr Kissoon got the idea from that EPA has a fleet of
cars. The vehicles that he may have seen in the EPA compound, on his
way to the University of Guyana, do not all belong to the EPA. The
Institute of Applied Science and Technology (IAST) which is also
accommodated in the compound with EPA also has some vehicles therein as
well as vehicles of staff of the two institutions. Members of the
public who visit the agency to do business also sometimes park their
vehicles in the compound. We are surprised that Mr Kissoon would resort
to writing about the Agency and convey the wrong impression to the
public, without ascertaining the true situation, which obtains at the
agency.

Mr Kissoon in the said article also tried to mislead the public into
believing that the EPA is harassing Guyanese investors. He mentioned
that he "caught up with a squad of EPA officers in an SUV in the
village of Success on the East Coast Demerara, trying to terrorise a
small furniture-maker." The vehicle, which we used, was one that is
normally used for field trips and we again wonder why Mr Kissoon chose
to describe it as an SUV. In addition, there was not a squad of
officers from EPA on the field trip. Only two technical officers of the
agency were on the trip, along with a driver. Mr Kissoon's use of the
words "SUV" and "squad" is a clear case of exaggeration.

The EPA does not harass investors as claimed by Mr Kissoon. Officers of
the agency on the field trip on the East Coast Demerara were carrying
out their legitimate duties of responding to a complaint of dust
pollution and noise nuisance from the said furniture manufacturing
operation. We do not know what Mr Kissoon meant by saying that he
"caught up with a squad of EPA Officers" on the trip, but we wish to
state categorically that the EPA was carrying out its responsibility in
the public interest of ensuring the protection of the environment and
public health. When complaints are forwarded to us, we normally
investigate these complaints and make recommendations to mitigate the
effects of the problem on the environment and if there is
non-compliance with our recommendations, we may resort to other courses
of action. We must be allowed to carry out our mandate and it is most
unfortunate that Mr Kissoon would interpret our role in the context of
harassing investors.

I wish to further state that subsequent to the field trip to Success,
Mr Kissoon visited me in my office at the EPA, along with someone whom
he claimed to be the owner of the furniture operation, to intervene and
plead on his behalf (the owner of the operation). Whatever may be the
role of Mr Kissoon in the matter, I trust that he would appreciate the
legitimate mandate of the agency, which at all times is carried out
objectively, fairly, professionally and in the interest of the
protection of the environment and human health.

Yours faithfully,

Doorga Persaud

Executive Director

Environmental

Protection Agency

Barama forced to pull out of Akawini

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56521291


Barama forced to pull out of Akawini
-villagers demand compensation, or will take legal action
By Johann Earle
Wednesday, May 30th 2007

The signs say it all

Barama Company Limited yesterday announced that it would begin to
demobilise its equipment and close its St Monica/Akawini operation
following a decision by the Akawini Village Council that the company
and its sub-contractor must go.

The Village Council has, for the past several weeks, appealed for help
saying that it was being taken advantage of and treated unfairly. The
Amerindian Peoples' Association (APA) and the Guyanese Organisation of
Indigenous Peoples (GOIP) had, on behalf of the people of Akawini,
called on Barama and its sub-contractor Interior Woods Products Inc
(IWPI) to cease all logging operations in the titled lands.

The council holds the view that Barama, which has a sub-contract to
harvest on behalf of IWPI, is also complicit in the bad arrangement.
Officials of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) and IWPI were
noticeably absent from the meeting, held at the Akawini Primary School
yesterday.

Several persons holding placards met the Barama team at Akawini
protesting the contractual arrangement and calling for Barama and IWPI
to go.

General Manager of Barama Girwar Lalaram said at a meeting at Akawini
yesterday that since the Akawini Village Council was holding fast to
its position without giving a hearing to the company, he was left with
no choice but to bring all operations to a close.

The village also accused Barama and IWPI of logging hardwoods in
addition to the peeler logs used to make plywood. But an official from
the company said that it logged "mostly" peeler logs, acknowledging
that some hardwoods were cut, but to a lesser degree.

Further, the Village Council read out a list of demands to Barama.
These included compensation for every log taken and for monies owed to
workers. Compensation for degradation to ecosystems supporting wildlife
and for loss of traditional way of life was also requested.

The Village Council said that if these demands were not met then legal
action would follow.

Before he announced the end of operations, Lalaram had said that Barama
would never attempt to cheat residents or deny them what is supposed to
be delivered to them. He said if the residents wished, Barama would
deliver on the promises made by the IWPI. According to Lalaram, IWPI
was supposed to complete some social activities in the areas of health,
education and recreation. "What IWPI has failed to do, Barama commits
itself to delivering," Lalaram said to the villagers. "If the captain
tells me what was promised, I will deliver them within a short time,"
he added.

According to Lalaram, at a Village Council meeting last Friday, the
villagers had decided that they wanted to work out an arrangement with
Barama, leaving IWPI out of the deal.

Lalaram said he was told that 54 people from the village and
surrounding areas were employed by Barama and he insisted that people
work in camps other then the one in St Monica, near Akawini. "I am also
willing to make the investment in those people in the two villages…
to train them to work for Barama," Lalaram said.

The APA and GOIP said in their joint release some days ago that workers
were very poorly paid, some earning as little as $17,000 per month.

In response, Lalaram said: "On wages and salaries, I expect that Barama
will not pay any person below the national minimum wage." He said too
that overtime would be given to anyone who worked outside regular
hours, as well as lunch allowances. He said the company would comply
with all labour regulations.

"I stand firm, we will have nothing to do with IWPI. If the people
decide that they don't want IWPI, then IWPI is out. I am willing to
remodel the agreement between the community and Barama to reflect
certain social commitments. I will provide to the children of Akawini
and St Monica two computers, whether Barama continues to operate or
not."

Toshao of Akawini, David Wilson asked Lalaram how long he knew of the
company IWPI. Lalaram responded that he was not involved in the initial
arrangement with IWPI and the Akawini Village Council. But he said he
had checked at the Deeds Registry and found that the company was
registered with two named directors.

Wilson said the Akawini Village Council had never seen the subcontract
"and we were never consulted before IWPI entered into this subcontract
with Barama."

Akawini has a timber harvesting and sales agreement with IWPI, which
expressly states that IWPI could only engage the services of a sub
contractor after consulting the holder, namely the Akawini Village
Council.

The Village General Meeting of Akawini took a decision on February 28,
2007 to terminate the IWPI agreement because of alleged breaches.

The council said it wrote to the IWPI in March informing the company of
the decision to end the agreement; no response was received.

Lalaram said the door was still open for negotiations on possible
arrangements, but he decried the confrontational stance by the Akawini
Village Council. He said Barama would issue a full press statement on
the Akawini issue.

Over-exploitation of forests a myth - Minister Persaud

http://www.guyanachronicle.com/news.html
Guyana Chronicle, 29 May 2007

Over-exploitation of forests a myth
- Minister Persaud

Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud has rejected the view that
Guyana’s forests are over-utilised, as statistics from the Guyana
Forestry Commission (GFC) indicate that extraction is just above 20
percent of the acceptable rate.

The Minister made the remarks at the Skeldon Sugar Estate during a
meeting with Region Six forestry stakeholders at the weekend.

Commissioner of GFC, James Singh, Chairman of GFC’s Board of Directors,
Tarachand Balgobin and Director of the Forest Products Marketing
Council (FPMC), Luvindra Sukhraj were among those at the meeting.

“So this notion that we are over-foresting, over-exploiting and
chopping down logs while the Guyana Forestry Commission and nobody is
doing anything is just a myth because the records are there for us to
see,” the Minister told the gathering.

He said there is great potential for further advancement of the
forestry sector, which is increasingly becoming a major contributor to
the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This sector creates
employment for thousands, generates income, earns foreign exchange and
is an asset to mitigate the effects of climate change, he added.

In this regard, Government has been undertaking initiatives to address
some of the challenges facing the sector. Critical to its sustainable
development is the need to ensure compliance with standards and
requirements at both the local and international levels, and this must
be brought about by changes in forestry practices and principles.

In the upcoming months, the GFC Bill and Act will be taken to
Parliament for amendment. In addition, a log export policy is currently
being developed to ensure that: Guyana gets maximum returns on all logs
exported, that exploitation of endangered species is controlled and
lesser used species are promoted.

Consultations on log-export have been held country-wide and a position
has already been taken.

Government has also been encouraging value-added and other processing
activities. There are attractive incentives for investors and
manufacturers in this regard. Measures are being implemented to deal
with companies/investors who have failed to meet their commitment for
processing, manufacturing or down stream activities outlined in the
initial agreement.

&There are mechanisms that once you are unable to honour your
commitment or your obligations, we will work with you to get some sort
of arrangement. This goes both for the local and foreign investors; but
once these opportunities are given and have been exhausted, we’ll take
action,” the Minister said.

Balgobin highlighted the difficulties facing small loggers and
emphasised the need for the formation of groups to assist these
individuals to attain success and further development of their
activities.

He assured that the GFC and its associates, including the FPMC, are
committed to working with the loggers to develop clusters through which
there will be significant progress.

Minister Persaud presented certificates to 17 persons of Region Six who
recently completed timber grading courses held by the GFC from March 21
to 27. This was done as part of the Commission’s country-wide programme
to ensure that all the necessary requirements are fulfilled prior to
timber being exported.

According to Commissioner Singh, initial evaluation is done by the
timber graders while the final verification is done by GFC and if there
are continuous inconsistencies in the assessment done, the grader’s
licence may be revoked.

A similar training session was done in Essequibo where approximately 10
persons were certified and another is planned for Georgetown where 35
persons are scheduled to participate. (GINA)

Despite log export ban. - Bai Shan Lin proceeding with investment plans

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56521142

Despite log export ban.
Bai Shan Lin proceeding with investment plans
By Johann Earle
Stabroek News
Monday, May 28th 2007

In spite of it being banned from log exports, Bai Shan Lin has not
shifted from any of its plans and still intends to carry out all that
it has committed to doing, including the building of sawmills for
downstream processing.

This is according to Admi-nistrative Manager of Bai Shan Lin, Karen
Canterbury who spoke to this newspaper recently. But she said that the
company is not prepared to make further statements at this time in
relation to the log export ban.

During its launch in January, the company had said that it plans to
establish two large-scale timber processing factories in Linden and
Georgetown, with the purchase of a sawmill in Linden that was
previously owned by Jaling Company.

Since the Ministry of Agriculture's action against Bai Shan Lin, stern
action has also been taken against Jaling Forest Industries Inc for its
failure to deliver on commitments made to the Govern-ment in it
agreement.

The government on May 6 announced that the Timber Sales Agreement (TSA)
awarded to Jaling had been suspended because of non-compliance with
undertakings made.

The GFC noticed that after the Timber Sales Agreement with Jaling, the
implementation of several key aspects of Jaling's business plan, such
as a kiln-drying complex and other value added activities were
significantly behind schedule. There were several meetings between
Jaling's management and GFC but the remedial actions taken were not
satisfactory.

Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud along with the GFC then held
meetings with Jaling's senior management and a 12-month period was
agreed on for the implementation of remedial action beginning in
January, 2007. According to the Ministry, an evaluation of the degree
of compliance with that plan was recently conducted, and it was
determined that some critical areas are still behind schedule.

The Ministry of Agricul-ture release said too that to compound matters,
the shareholders of the company JFII were recently engaged in major
transfers of shares which have resulted in an internal shareholder
dispute now being addressed in China and that the change in
shareholding was done without the necessary disclosure to the GFC.
Jaling was not prepared to speak on the issue when contacted by this
newspaper last week.

Bai Shan Lin still plans to invest approximately US$100M dollars over
the next three years for value added processing as well as timber
harvesting and hopes to have an annual production capacity of 300,000
to 500,000 cubic metres. The company had in January announced its
US$4.5 million investment plan for wood processing.

Bai Shan Lin has so far brought in from China and other countries more
than US$10M worth of various kinds of logging equipment.

The company is 49 per cent owned by BUCC, a construction company of
China which has businesses in various countries of the world. Funding
for Bai Shan Lin comes directly from BUCC.

Bai Shan Lin had appealed to Minister Persaud to allow a grace period
of 12 months during which the export of round logs would be allowed,
but this didn't change things. Persaud reminded the company of the
commitment it had expressed to become engaged immediately in
value-added activities and encouraged it to move in this direction.

Persaud, speaking to this newspaper last week said that shortly there
will be an articulated forestry policy for which consultations have
been ongoing. He said that for Jaling and Bai Shan Lin, the position of
the Government remains the same. He said that he has not received any
feedback from the Guyana Forestry Commission indicating that the two
companies have approached the authorities with any new proposals
regarding their operations.

These groups are wrong to call on Barama to cease operations in Akawini village lands

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56521171

These groups are wrong to call on Barama to cease operations in Akawini
village lands
Stabroek News
Monday, May 28th 2007

Dear Editor,

I wish to refer to your newspaper article under the caption "Amerindian
groups call on Barama to cease Akawini logging" in your issue of
Thursday May 24th 2007.

I am disappointed with both the APA and GOIP for allowing themselves to
fall prey to a known anti-Barama critic. But whether deliberately or
not both of these organizations instead of finding solutions for the
development of indigenous peoples are now carrying out the wishes of
Barama's detractors and critics.

These so called indigenous groups not knowing the truth about the
Akawini situation call on the Barama Company to cease its harvesting
operations in the Akawini village lands. But it must be known to the
Guyanese public and the international community that the root cause of
Akawini's squabble with the IWPI is as a result of competing logging
interests wanting to do business with the village council. Nevertheless
the truth has to be revealed and it is unfortunate that the Toshao of
Akawini while he was in Switzerland did not tell the society of
Threatened peoples and the Bruno Manser Fords the truth surrounding the
Akawini - IWPI fall out. Why didn't the Akawini Toshau tell these two
Swiss NGOs and the international forum which he attended that the
Akawini village had prior knowledge which was told at the Community
Consul-tations that the Barama Company would have engaged in
sustainable forest harvesting in Akawini. Why now this big cry about
'sub contract documents' when the Akawini people knew about Barama's
involvement in the harvesting of commercial forests. For the Akawini
village council to say that they knew nothing about Barama's role in
Akawini is lying to the Guyanese public as well as lying to the
international community.

But what is contradictory about both the APA and GOIP is that while
they target Barama, they allowed the pillage and plunder of the
commercial forests of Kwebanna, Bethany, Orealla, Cabacaburi, Manawarin
and Wakapau Amerindian communities by their continued silence over this
forest crime. Why didn't these two organizations stand up for the
rights of their constituencies amidst the plundering of their forest by
indiscriminate coastland loggers? Is this the policy position of both
the APA and GOIP that forest destruction by coastland loggers is
acceptable to them, while sustainable forest management by the Barama
company is not allowed?

What do APA and GOIP have to offer the Akawini people should Barama
decide to leave Akawini? This is what the village council should think
about and stop being used by the APA and GOIP as their political
football. Since Barama's operations in Akawini the village has earned
millions which should be used for their community development as well
as to provide small grants to grass-roots organisations of the village
to fund their projects.

Both the APA and GOIP are aspirants to serve on the Indigenous Peoples
Commission (IPC) and I am now concerned with the level of their
maturity to effectively discharge the IPC's functions which in the
final analysis will enhance the well being of Guyana's indigenous
peoples.

I am appealing to the Akawini village council to let good sense prevail
for an amicable solution to their concerns with the Barama Company.

Yours faithfully,

Peter Persaud

President

The Amerindian Action Movement of Guyana (TAAMOC)

Guyana and the wider world - Concluding explanations of economic stagnation (1997-2006)

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56521116

Guyana and the wider world
Concluding explanations of economic stagnation (1997-2006
Dr Clive Thomas
Stabroek News
Sunday, May 27th 2007

So far six classes of explanations for the economic stagnation after
1997 have been considered in this column, namely, governance,
institutional quality, historical factors, geography and environment,
macroeconomy, and policy errors. The remaining four categories:
infrastructure, external considerations, the socio-political
environment, and cultural and behavioural norms and practices are
discussed this week.

Infrastructure

When I discussed the category 'geography and environment,' I had
stressed the roles of difficult topography, location in the tropical
rainforest zone, and small population size as impeding growth and
tending towards economic slowdown. Guyana's small GDP, relative to the
capital outlays required to put in place and maintain an efficient
economic, social, and physical infrastructure is undoubtedly a huge
constraint. The physical demands for roads, bridges, sea defences,
drainage and irrigation, electricity, telecommunications and such like
are an enormous strain on the economy. Indeed on a per capita basis the
country cannot afford self-sufficiency where its infrastructure is
concerned, particularly when taking into account also the risk of
weather shocks, and the threat of water-borne tropical rainforest-type
communicable diseases. These latter require considerable outlays not
only on preventative health measures (vaccines) but also the
regulation, surveillance and control of disease carriers.

Not surprisingly utility costs in Guyana have been among the highest in
the region. In turn this has increased the cost of economic activities.
Additionally, the present infrastructural works are generally fragile
and prone to regular breakdowns, thereby impeding production further.
Indeed the World Economic Forum (WEF) rates the infrastructure in
Guyana at 2.3 on a scale of 1-7, which gives it a global ranking of 104
out of 125 countries surveyed.

In the literature these infrastructural demands operate as a brake on
the economy, which becomes progressively binding as economic activity
is stepped up and increased usage of the infrastructure occurs. Like
its counterpart (geography and environment), this is obviously an
important set of considerations, but the truth is there are several
economies with equally serious constraints (small population and
national market, big geographic area, isolation, and lack of
territorial cohesion), which have had better growth performances than
Guyana. What we can say with certainty, therefore, is that while an
association exists between infrastructural constraints and the economic
slowdown, no line of causality has been satisfactorily established in
the literature reviewed.

External

considerations

As a category, external factors generally originate from the
fundamental reality that the Guyana economy is highly open,
specialising in low value-added primary export of natural
resource-based products, a substantial portion of which benefits from
preferential arrangements. These are presently under threat of
substantial erosion as liberalisation proceeds and the WTO agenda for
global free trade advances.

This dependence on foreign markets generates systemic instability
linked to global expansion and the world prices for natural
resource-based products. Thus the country faces simultaneously, the
explosive rise of oil prices and the disastrous decline of sugar
prices, as preferential markets are eroded. This produces adverse terms
of trade. And, the situation is worsened because the country's
ex-change rate is pegged to the US dollar, which currently is facing
uncertain times in European and Asian foreign exchange markets.

Altogether these circumstances are said to limit the country's capacity
to grow, thereby making economic slowdown an ever present reality. In
favourable situations this constraint may be temporarily relieved, as
when foreign direct investment or an improvement in the exogenously
determined terms of trade occurs.

Again, it can be pointed out that similar circumstances (or worse)
apply to other countries where sustained economic decline is not
evident. One cannot therefore generalise on the basis of Guyana's
specificity.

The one external dimension which affects Guyana more than any other
country is the brain drain. The international data show the country has
the highest per capita outward migration of tertiary trained persons.

Socio-political

This category covers a wide array of issues, about which most Guyanese
would consider themselves 'expert.' My task here is simply to highlight
a few of the more striking elements of the socio-political environment,
which it is said contributes to the continuing economic slowdown.
Heading the list is the country's well known racial and political
conflict. Because it has generated instability, violence, crime, and
banditry, it constitutes a humongous deflationary drag on the economy.

The pursuit of 'winner-take-all' and 'zero-sum games' in politics has
produced complaints against the government from groups about
marginalisation and non-inclusiveness. Regrettably, there are definite
periodic cycles to these events, which seem to centre on national
elections. The 2006 national elections did not, however, see a spike in
conflict.

Such circumstances are the product of a long history going as far back
as the brutal impacts of colonial institutions on the culture and
characteristic behavioural norms of the population. However, other
countries have had similarly brutal experiences including our neighbour
Suriname in the period of its military rule. Comparative studies of
Suriname and Guyana's economic performance show striking differences
and suggest that social-political factors do not provide sufficient
explanation.

Culture and

behaviour

Under this category I place a wide miscellany of factors, which cannot
be neatly tagged. These include a questionable work ethic; family
structures weakened by historically-shaped circumstances; and weak
social and cultural capital, as exhibited in weakness of community
togetherness, trust, and neighbourliness.

Specifically, it includes also such phenomena as the questionable
development of an entrepreneurial ethic and persistent risk averse
behaviour among Guyanese. Also, the incentive framework is said to be
heavily over-determined by the attraction of proceeds from crime,
rent-seeking behaviour, and nepotism. There is generally therefore, a
lack of business sophistication.

Thus the WEF ranks 'business sophistication' in Guyana at 97 out of 125
countries and rates it at 3.4 on a scale of 1-7. For innovation,' which
is supposed to cover the 'entrepreneurial ethic,' the performance is
worse. Guyana is rated at 2.5 out of the same scale of 1-7 and ranked
116 out of 125.

Next week I shall begin to assess these explanations and make some
suggestions.

Forestry meeting now today

http://www.guyanachronicle.com/news.html

Forestry meeting now today
Guyana Chronicle, 27 May 2007
ALL loggers, millers and forestry sector stakeholders on the Corentyne
are advised that the meeting with the Honourable Minister of
Agriculture Robert M. Persaud will now be held today, May 27th, 2007,
at 15:30h at the Skeldon Estate Officers Training Centre and not Monday
May 28, as was previously announced.

The Ministry of Agriculture regrets any inconvenience caused.

Stop Stop WWF's Betrayal of the Earth's Last Ancient Forests

http://www.rainforestportal.org/alerts/send.asp?
id=wwf_ancient_forest_logging



Action Alert: Stop WWF's Betrayal of the Earth's Last Ancient Forests
WWF is the world's largest ancient forest logging apologist; actively
promoting questionable "certified, sustainable" logging in Guyana,
Russia and elsewhere -- and may be the World's greatest threat facing
endangered ancient forests

By Rainforest Portal, a project of Ecological Internet - May 24, 2007


Caption: The Congo Basin and the Earth's other large ancient forests
must remain intact as ecological reserves for local, regional and
global ecological sustainability (link)

For many years the international conservation group WWF has supported
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification that first-time logging
of ancient primary and old-growth forests is "sustainable". Millions of
hectares of intact, large rainforest ecosystems have been and are being
heavily industrially logged for the first time with WWF and FSC's stamp
of approval. Ecological Internet (EI) recently reported upon Samling of
Malaysia's activities in Guyana under the name of Barama (1.3 million
ha/3.2 million acres), which received significant international bank
financing based upon assurances provided by WWF and an FSC certificate
of good forest management.

Sadly, WWF's partnering with this particular rainforest destroyer in
Guyana is not at all unique. Similar large-scale, often illegal and
highly socially and environmentally destructive logging of ancient
forests in the Congo basin countries, Russia, and Indonesia continue
with the blessing of WWF and FSC as their official policy. WWF's
greenwashing, and propagation and subsidizing of the myth of
"sustainable ancient forest logging", may be the greatest threat to the
world's remaining ancient forests.

WWF's unquestioning support for certified logging of ancient forests
has placed them in the highly controversial position of supporting
loggers against local protests, as well as at odds with ecological
science's requirements for global forest and climate sustainability.
Their efforts go well beyond promotion, as WWF's "Global Forest and
Trade Network" (GFTN) program is highly likely accepting undisclosed
amounts of money from industrial loggers to promote their certification
to FSC standards. And they continue to advocate on their behalf even
when these standards are not met. As evidence questioning their basic
premise that industrial logging of millions of years old ecosystems is
environmentally desirable or even possible continues to build, WWF has
resorted to trying to cover-up the depth to which they are driving the
ancient forest logging business. Indeed, WWF is acting like a Public
Relations agency for destructive and criminal logging.

WWF played a major role in promoting and gaining finance for the now
'suspended' and discredited FSC certificate of Barama in Guyana. You
may recall their parent company, Samling Global Ltd., was recently
listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange with support from Credit Suisse,
HSBC and the Australian Maquarie Securities Ltd. Credit Suisse
indicated they had participated on the advice of WWF. Two organizations
representing indigenous peoples in the South American state of Guyana,
the Amerindian Peoples’ Association (APA) and the Guyanese Organization
of Indigenous Peoples (GOIP), are asking the Malaysian Samling timber
group to immediately cease all logging operations on the titled lands
of the Akawini Amerindian Village on the Pomeroon River. Barama Co.
Ltd, the Guyanese subsidiary of Samling, is being accused of logging
illegally on over 400,000 hectares of tropical rainforest outside its
concessions and of operating on titled Amerindian lands without the
consent of the communities. Janette Bulkan, a leading Guyanese
rainforest advocate, has labeled Samling’s operations in Guyana “a new
vicious variant of colonialism”.

WWF once heralded the FSC certification of Barama -- the largest FSC
certified tropical logging operation -- as a "record-setting
accomplishment for tropical forest conservation in South America". WWF
worked closely with the company for some time, providing technical
advice and helping the company to get its certificate. Yet in January
of this year, Barama had its certificate suspended. During
certification evaluations in 2005-06 numerous violations of FSC
criteria were found; including illegal operations, taxes not paid, an
absence of commitment to sustainable forest management and failure to
comply with FSC policy and intent on partial certification of large
ownerships, over-cutting, absence of environmental impact permit,
failure to demarcate conservation zones in logging blocks, and failure
to manage forest of acknowledged high conservation value amongst
others.

After first intensely defending Barama and its cancelled
certification, WWF is now in full damage control mode, trying its best
to distance itself from Samling. This might be written off as a one
time poor decision by WWF; yet troublingly, it is clear that WWF have a
systematic program of working with some of the leading
forest-destroyers on the planet, have refused to say how much money
they are taking from them, and that they are subsequently defending
these companies to the hilt.

In highly similar cases, WWF is also supporting questionable
certification of primary forest logging by Terneyles in Russia (one of
the largest loggers in Russia with 1.4 million hectares/3.5 million
acres). Early this year WWF claimed that there was a "revolution" going
on in Russian forestry, and Terneyles was singled out as an example.
Amazingly this glowing recommendation was given in the absence of
required certification inspection and surveillance reports on Terneyles
covering the last two years. In the absence of such essential
components of FSC certification, WWF's statement that Terneyles is
"committed to responsible forestry" is mere conjecture. WWF must reveal
how much money Terneyles has paid them in order to join the Russian
Forest and Trade Network. It appears that after taking their money, WWF
may have successfully lobbied for Terneyles both to keep their
certificate, and for anything that challenges the validity of this
certificate to be suppressed.

Meanwhile, WWF's partner in the Congo, Danzer (one of Congo's biggest
loggers with ~2.6 million ha/6.4 million acres) has also taken measures
to try and silence local protestors by bringing court cases against
them. And then there is WWF's ‘partnership’ with the murderous
Perhutani plantation company in Indonesia, which is vehemently opposed
by local environmentalists and human rights activists. Along with the
World Bank, WWF has helped to hand out 3 million hectares (7.4 million
acres) of new logging concessions in the Peruvian Amazon. This is just
a small sample of WWF's 'partnerships' with logging companies. In fact
dozens of logging companies have paid WWF to 'join' GFTN's PR campaign.
These companies are together destroying and diminishing 24 million
hectares (59.3 million acres) of forest.

WWF is betraying the global ancient forest protection movement. Its
embrace of questionable certifications provides greenwashing to allow
industrial ancient rainforest logging to continue. WWF and other
ancient forest logging apologists must commit to working to End Ancient
Forest Logging -- a complete cessation of industrial development in the
world's remaining primary and old-growth forests. This is a global
imperative given looming climate change, species extinction and
continued indigenous abuses by rapacious "legal" and illegal industrial
loggers. Ultimately, just like any big multinational corporation, as it
seems to be only money that now interests WWF, we have to make it cost
them more to have these deals with logging companies than they get from
the deals themselves. Protest against a World Without ancient Forests
(WWF) and demand they cease their support for industrial scaled logging
of primary and old-growth forests.

China bank exploring Guyana investment

http://www.guyanachronicle.com/topstory.html#Anchor-China-35696



China bank exploring Guyana investment
Guyana Chronicle, 24 May 2007


THE China Development Bank (CDB) is interested in investment here,
according to Zhao Jianping, Assistant Governor of the bank.

The Government Information Agency (GINA) reported that after meeting
President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday at his office in Georgetown, Mr.
Jianping said, “As you know, we share long-term, good relations with
your country and we see that the potential for economic cooperation is
great. My visit here is to try and learn about the country and to
promote Chinese investment.”


The agency said he explained that in many sectors of the country the
possibility of lucrative ventures exists.


“You have a lot of resources China has a big market for,” he said,
citing the examples of sugar, timber and bauxite.


GINA said he highlighted Guyana’s continuous move towards hydro-power,
noting that China has a lot of expertise in this area.


The agency said Jianping was accompanied at the meeting with President
Jagdeo by Chinese Ambassador to Guyana, Zhang Jungao and Li Yunzhi,
Deputy Division Chief, International Finance Department.


It said the bank, founded in March 1994 and led by Governor Chen Yuan,
is a major player in long-term financing for key projects.

Amerindian groups call on Barama to cease Akawini logging

Stabroek News

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56520903

Amerindian groups call on Barama to cease Akawini logging
Thursday, May 24th 2007

The Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) and the Guyanese Organisation
of Indigenous Peoples (GOIP) are calling on Barama Company Limited and
Interior Woods Products Limited (IWPI) to immediately cease all logging
operations in the titled lands of Akawini Amerindian Village in
Pomeroon Region 2.

A release from the two groups said yesterday that Barama began logging
in Akawini in February 2006 "ostensibly" on a subcontract it signed
with the IWPI. According to Akawini Toshao, David Wilson, the Akawini
Village Council has never seen this subcontract "and we were never
consulted before IWP entered into this subcontract with Barama."

Barama was contacted by Stabroek News for a comment yesterday but up to
press time there was no response.

Akawini has a timber harvesting and sales agreement with IWPI which
expressly states that IWPI could only engage the services of a sub
contractor after consulting the holder, namely the Akawini Village
Council.

The press release said that the Village General Meeting (VGM) of
Akawini which is the highest decision making forum for the village
under the law took a decision on February 28, 2007 to terminate the
IWPI agreement because of alleged breaches by the IWPI. The Village
Council has since March of this year written to IWPI informing the
company of the decision of the VGM to end the agreement. The council
has to date received no response and the logging continues unabated. In
the agreement between IWPI and Akawini, the release said, the postal
address of IWPI is a home address and it has no stated telephone or fax
number or email address.

"In reality, IWPI is a faceless company which strongly suggests that it
is a shell or front company of Barama," the release said.

In early May, the APA represented by David James, attorney-at-law and
Toshao David Wilson were invited by Swiss NGOs Bruno Manser Fonds and
Society for Threatened Peoples to meet with officials of Credit Suisse
and Samling Global Group of Malaysia.

The release said that at the meeting in Zurich, James and Wilson
informed the officials of Credit Suisse and Samling that Barama through
its purported subcontract with IWPI, is unsustainably logging the last
remaining forest of the Akawini Village and in the process threatens
the livelihood and violates the rights of indigenous people living
there.

At the Zurich meeting, according to the release, Cheryl Yong,
Communications Manager of Samling said that 55 persons from Akawini
were employed with Barama. Toshao Wilson categorically refuted this and
said that there are fewer than 12 persons employed by Barama who work
for $17,000 a month. He also told the meeting that Barama/IWPI harvest
over 20 different species of hardwood in Akawini and that Yong stated
Barama only cuts peeler logs which have no commercial value to locals.

According to the release, Barama's April 2007 production report in
Akawini shows that 92 pieces of Purple Heart, 31 pieces of Mora, 60
pieces of Locust, 44 pieces of Kabucalli and 92 pieces of Bulletwood
amounting to 1,587 cubic metres of hardwood were harvested.

The APA and GOIP are calling on the Government of Guyana to protect the
rights of the indigenous peoples of Guyana and in particular the people
of Akawini.

Malaysia Swiss bank under fire for deal with timber company

http://www.nit.com.au/News/story.aspx?id=11029

The logo of Swiss banking company Credit Suisse next to the Swiss
flag. The company has come under fire for advising controversial
company Samling in its stock market flotation. Samling has been
accused of harming Indigenous peoples in Guyana and Malaysia
Swiss bank under fire for deal with timber company
Issue 129 - 17 May 2007

By Amy McQuire

SWITZERLAND

Issue 129, May 17, 2007: SWISS banking giant Credit Suisse has been
pressured to pay $10 million (7.0 million euros) to Indigenous peoples
in Malaysia and Guyana for advising a timber company in its stock
market flotation in February.

The $10 million was requested in a meeting held in Zurich, Switzerland
in early May between environmentalist group, the Bruno Manser Fonds
(BMF), Credit Suisse and Samling Global.

"We are asking that Credit Suisse give back the profits generated by
the stock exchange debut, 10 million dollars, to the Indigenous peoples
harmed by Samling," Lukas Straumann from BMF was reported as saying by
the Agence France-Presse.

The company was an advisor to controversial Malaysian company Samling,
which has been targeted for large-scale illegal logging in the South
American country of Guyana and for destroying rainforest in the
Malaysian state of Sarawak.

The company had previously lost a certification from the Forest
Stewardship Council (FSC) on a forest concession in Guyana because it
did not comply with the standards set.

In the past, Samling has also been criticised for its operations in
Papua New Guinea and Cambodia.

Samling was listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange in February and
subsequently received a market capitalisation of US$1.2 billion.

Credit Suisse was the global co-ordinator for the listing and was
joined by the British HSBC and the Australian bank Macquarie.

This came despite Credit Suisse stating that it would abide by forest
sector guidelines that would have excluded deals with companies with
past histories like Samling.

The BMF states that Samling controls about 3.9 million hectares of
tropical rainforest in Sarawak and Guyana.

"For years Samling has destroyed the livelihood of the Penan people (in
Sarwak in Malaysia)... If nothing happens, the last remaining pristine
forests will be cleared very soon," Mr Straumann says in a statement on
the BMF website.

Janette Bulkan, from Yale University's School of Forestry and
Environmental Studies is also quoted on the website as saying that the
company is involved in illegal logging in Guyana.

"It is clear from the IPO (Initial Public Offering) prospectus
distributed by Credit Suisse that the Samling subsidiary Barama is
claiming harvesting rights over 400,000 hectares of tropical forests
outside its own concessions. This practice is illegal because it
violates the forestry laws of Guyana," Ms Janette said.

Concerns were also raised by BMF over the clearing of a three-year
blockade set up by the Malaysian Indigenous people Penan in February
this year.

"We are slowly dying," a representative of the Penan people told a
press conference of Malaysian journalists.

The international organisation BankTrack which aims to track the
operations of the private financial sector stated that the company had
"already destroyed large parts of the Penan's native lands".

"By cooperating with Samling on the occasion of its listing on the
stock exchange, Credit Suisse, HSBC and Macquarie are making themselves
part of the irresponsible and destructive logging practices and human
rights violations of the Samling group," the organisation says on its
website.

Samling rejected the claims in a statement.

"Accusations raised in relation to Samling Global's destruction of
forests in Sarawak and Guyana are categorically false," the company
says.

"Many Indigenous groups have benefited from Samling Global's presence
in the forest because we have been mindful to integrate and accommodate
community activities within our operations."

Although environmental groups still accuse Samling of encroaching on
the rights of Indigenous people in Malaysia and Guyana, Credit Suisse
is refusing to accommodate demands.

A Credit Suisse spokesman told the Agence France-Presse that
investigations had found that Samling had operated within relevant
laws.

A further meeting between the two companies and representative
Indigenous people had been planned at the time of press.

APA Press Release on Barama/Akawini

Dear colleagues,

Find attached an Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) press release.
Please forward this onto whoever you wish.

Best regards,
APA

AMERINDIAN PEOPLES ASSOCIATION

334 B East Street, South Cummingsburg, Georgetown, Guyana

Tel: 592-227 0275, Tel/Fax: 592-223 8150 Email:apacoica@networksgy.com apa@,webworksgy.com

Website: http.www.caribbeanngos.net

May 23, 2007

Joint APA/GOIP – Indigenous Peoples NGOs Press Release

APA and GOIP Call on Barama/IWPI to Cease Logging in Akawini Titled lands.

The Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) and the Guyanese Organization of Indigenous Peoples (GOIP) are calling on the Barama Company and the Interior Wood Products Limited (IWPI) to immediately cease all logging operations in the titled lands of Akawini Amerindian Village, Pomeroon, in Region 2.

Barama Company began logging in Akawini in February 2006 ostensibly on a subcontract it signed with IWPI. According to Akawini Toshao David Wilson “Akawini Village Council has never seen this subcontract and we were never consulted before IWPI entered into this subcontract with Barama” Akawini has a Timber Harvesting & Sale Agreement with IWPI which expressly states that IWPI could only engage the services of a sub contractor “having consulted the “Holder” namely the Akawini Village Council.

The Village General Meeting (VGM) of Akawini which is the highest decision making forum of the village under the law, took a decision on February 28, 2007 to terminate the agreement with IWPI because of alleged breaches by IWPI. The Akawini Village Council has since March of this year written to the IWPI informing the company of the decision of the VGM to end the agreement. The Akawini Council has to date received no response and the logging continues unabated. In the agreement between IWPI and Akawini, the postal address of IWPI is a home address and it has no stated telephone or fax number or email address. In reality, IWPI is a faceless company which strongly suggests that it is a “shell” or “front” company of Barama.

In early May, the APA represented by David James, Attorney-at-Law and Toshao David Wilson of Akawini were invited by Swiss NGOs Bruno Manser Fonds and Society for Threatened Peoples to meet with officials of Credit Suisse and Samling Global Group of Malaysia. Credit Suisse is the second largest commercial bank in Switzerland and reportedly made 10 million US dollars from the Initial Public Offering (IPO) that it underwrote for Samling. Samling is the parent company for the Barama Company in Guyana. At the meeting held in Zurich Switzerland they informed the officials of Credit Suisse and Samling that Barama Company, through it purported subcontract with IWPI, is unsustainably logging the last remaining forest of the Akawini Village and in the process threatening the livelihood and violating the rights of the Indigenous people living there.

At Zurich meeting, Cheryl Yong, Communications Manager of Samling claimed that 55 persons from Akawini were employed by Barama. Toshao David Wilson categorically refuted this and said “there are fewer than 12 persons employed by Barama who work for G$17,000 per month.” He also told the meeting that Barama/IWPI harvest over 20 different hardwood species in Akawini. Ms. Yong also stated that Barama only cuts “peeler logs which have no commercial value to the locals, we take out only one species of timber”. The April 2007 Production Report of Barama /IWPI logging operations in Akawini show that 92 pieces of purpleheart, 31 pieces of mora, 60 pieces of locust, 44 pieces of kabucalli and 92 pieces of bulletwood amounting to 1587 cubic metres of hardwood were harvested.

The APA and GOIP are calling on the Government of Guyana to protect the rights of the indigenous peoples of Guyana and in particular the rights of the indigenous people of Akawini. We further call on the Government to review contracts with companies such as Barama that plunder the natural resources of our country for which the people of Guyana receive minimal benefits.

For further information kindly contact:

David James, Attorney-at-Law, at APA telephone numbers 223 – 5082 or 227 - 0275

WWF restates call to Barama for major commitment to responsible forestry

Stabroek News
http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56519586

WWF restates call to Barama for major commitment to responsible forestry
Saturday, May 5th 2007

Following a visit to its north west concession and a mixed assessment
of what it saw, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has reiterated its call
to Barama Company Limited (BCL) and its parent company Samling to make
a "high level commitment to responsible forestry".

WWF staff visited Barama Company Limited's forest concession in Guyana
in late February early/March 2007 to observe the company's
on-the-ground response to the suspension of BCL's Forest Stewardship
Council's FSC certificate and corresponding corrective action requests
issued by SGS Qualifor in January 2007.

"The WWF visit was a follow up to the meeting between BCL, FSC and WWF
held in Bonn, [Germany] in February 2007 to review the findings of the
SGS-Qualifor and Accreditation Services International audits that led
to the suspension and the actions necessary by BCL to secure the
reinstatement of the FSC certificate," the WWF said, emphasising that
the visit was not a pre-audit inspection of BCL's operations by WWF.

Contacted yesterday, General Manager of BCL Girwar Lalaram told
Stabroek News that there will be an audit no later than the end of July
this year to determine the company's status with the FSC and it is
confident that the company will pass the inspection.

"I will soon extend an invitation to all stakeholders to make a visit
to BCL's operation so that they could see for themselves that we are
serious," Lalaram said. He asserted that the company is fully committed
to completing all the corrective actions required of it.

The WWF said that its visit included a limited survey of compartment 5
of the BCL concession, the Buck Hall sawmill and management centre,
main field camp, logging crew camps, as well as three non-BCL
concessions where BCL is currently conducting harvesting operations.

The visit revealed that forest management activities in compartment 5
of the concession include a solid geographic information system, well
organised harvest planning, log-tracking and road networks and the
general application of many principles of reduced impact logging.

The visit found that there is a lack of consistent decision making and
authority by BCL managers who truly understand the details of FSC
certification and cutting edge, modern sustainable forest practices.
"High staff turnover in management, coupled with [cross-cultural
challenges] have inhibited consistent application of BCL policies. This
situation has also exacerbated a breakdown in dialogue with many key
stakeholders." The release said.

WWF said that average harvest rates on the BCL concession have been
lower than the volumes authorised by the Guyana Forestry Commission
(GFC), through BCL plans to increase harvest levels in line with annual
allowable cuts as determined by the Commission. "However, additional
emphasis is needed on the silvicultural management of those species
being harvested the heaviest," the WWF said.

The release added that analysis is being conducted of data from
permanent plots to monitor forest dynamics which should be used to
adapt forest management systems to ensure viable commercial populations
of these species in the future.

The visit revealed that BCL does not practice reduced impact logging
(RIL) on third- party concessions. According to WWF, BCL said that the
investment required to implement RIL on these concessions is difficult
to justify given their lack of long-term tenure; the concession owners
could terminate their supply contracts with BCL at any time.While some
aspects concerning workers' living conditions, health and sanitation
were being improved, others remain wanting. "BCL appears, however, to
have taken this issue seriously and is making many improvements since
the SGS-Qualifor surveillance audit of November 2006. Whether these
efforts are sufficient to meet the FSC standard needs to be further
assessed," the WWF said.

After the company had prepared numerous studies and plans over the
years for a range of responsible forestry practices, particularly on
environmental impact assessment and monitoring, these have not been
fully implemented, the WWF added. "Particular emphasis is needed to
ensure effective restoration of disturbed sites such as retired log
landings, erosion control on retired road networks and minimal
disturbance during road construction," the release said.

WWF said that while BCL does have a detailed management plan for
compartment 5, where current harvesting is focused, this is lacking for
compartment 4. The release said that since compartment 4 also falls
under the scope of the suspended FSC certificate, it should be covered
under the management plan. BCL said that compartment 4 will not be
harvested until 2009 and there is no access to it.

"BCL needs to make a concerted and sustained effort to improve internal
and external communications, and to engage with Guyanese stakeholders
to advance responsible forestry practices and independent
certification," WWF said. The WWF said it has transmitted these
findings to BCL and continued WWF support to BCL for the restoration of
FSC certification "will be considered in light of BCL's response to the
above challenges".

BCL has come under increasing scrutiny from the WWF, civic groups and
the government over its forestry practices in its huge north west
concession.

Sarawak Chief Minister sues leading land rights lawyer

Media information, Bruno Manser Fonds, Basel / Switzerland
>
> 22 May 2007
>
> Leading Sarawak land rights lawyer sued by Chief Minister for
> distributing leaflets
>
> Taib Mahmud attempts to silence opposition and media over his alleged
> involvement in a timber corruption scandal
>
> Sarawak Chief Minister Adul Taib Mahmud has filed a lawsuit for
> alleged defamation against See Chee How, a leading Sarawak land rights
> lawyer, at the High Court in Kuching, the capital of the East
> Malaysian state on Borneo. See's alleged offence consists in having
> distributed leaflets containing news articles from the Japan Times and
> Malaysiakini in a shopping centre in Kuching.
>
> Taib’s filing of a lawsuit is the latest step in a political scandal
> which started two months ago with reports by the Japanese press that
> the Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau had found irregularities with nine
> Japanese companies involved in shipping timber from Sarawak to Japan.
> According to the Japan Times, the shipping companies failed to
> properly report some 1.1 billion yen (9.2 million US dollars),
> alleging the money constituted kickbacks paid to a Hong Kong agent
> with a connection to Taib Mahmud and his family. See Chee How, who is
> also a legal adviser to the opposition party PKR, is now being sued
> together with the state PKR chairman and the Malaysian media that
> reported on the affair.
>
> "It is interesting to see that the Chief Minister is going after me
> when there were more than 30 people distributing leaflets", See said
> when contacted by BMF. It can be suspected that Taib's lawsuit is part
> of a vendetta because of the lawyer's strong involvement in
> indigenous land rights cases. See is one of two lawyers with Messrs.
> Baru Bian, a lawfirm that is handling a large number cases filed by
> indigenous communities against the Sarawak State Government and its
> concessionaires, in particular the landmark Iban case of Rumah Nor as
> well as a prominent case filed by rainforest-dwelling Penan
> communities.
>
> Taib, a passionate Rolls-Royce driver, is one of the main culprits for
> the extensive damage done to native lands in Sarawak by logging and
> plantation companies. He and his family have substantially profited
> from the deforestation of Sarawak, where less than ten per cent of the
> primeval forests are left intact.
>
> During his 26 years in power, Taib has repeatedly been linked to
> corruption and bad governance. In 1987, he was accused by his uncle
> and predecessor Rahman Yaakub of having awarded 1.6 million hectares
> of forest concessions, worth several billion US Dollars, to his
> friends and family. In May 2007, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption
> Authority (ACA) started a probe against Taib over the alleged kickback
> payments by Japanese shipping companies.
>
> "This is the first time in Taib's career that he is suing anyone", See
> Chee How commented. "He is very bitter these days." According to See,
> a few lawyers have volunteered already to help defending him and the
> other defendants: "We are confident we will win the case once it will
> come to court."
>
>
> Attachment: Portrait of lawyer See Chee How (Copyright: BMF)
>
>
> For more information, please contact us under:
>
> Tel. +41 61 261 94 74
>
> E-Mail: info@bmf.ch, Web:www.bmf.ch
>
> Bruno Manser Fonds, Heuberg 25, 4051 Basel / Switzerland