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Rainforest offer not a call for
handouts - Minister Persaud
Guyana's offer of the rainforest to combat climate change is not about
handouts but a call for a viable market-based mechanism to reward and
compensate countries that have taken deliberate policy measures to ensure
sustainable utilization of their forest resources.
This was emphasised by Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud, at the
'Capacity Building for Climate Change Adaptation - A Caribbean Experience'
seminar held on December 10 in Bali, Indonesia. Minister Persaud was the
head of the Guyana delegation.
Other members on the delegation included Chairman of the National Climate
Committee Shyam Nokta, Head of the National Climate Unit in the Ministry of
Agriculture Gitanjali Chandarpal, Major General (rtd) Joe Singh, and
Coordinator of the Guiana Shield Programme Dr. Patrick Chesney.
The forum was organised by the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre
(CCCCC) as one of the side events of the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties (CoP). In October last,
President Bharrat Jagdeo said that Guyana was willing to deploy its raw
forest in the service of the battle against climate change.
Under this offer, not a single hectare of forest will be sold and forestry
and mining activities will continue in a sustainable manner.
Minister Persaud, who addressed the seminar, said that Guyana will continue
to contribute to global climate change mitigation through the use of its
standing forest even though the country is vulnerable to the phenomenon and
adaptation is a crucial issue.
Guyana's forest covers approximately 16 million hectares or 75 percent of
the country's total land mass.
Reference was made to Guyana's initiatives to deal with climate change,
including its forest management which is based on the principles of
sustainable development.
This takes into account sustainable use and conservation, which is evident
in the work of the Iwokrama Rainforest Conservation and Development
Programme.
The Minister also spoke about Guyana's agricultural sector and its role in
meeting not only its domestic food needs, but that of the region. The
sector's vulnerability to climate change and the need for greater
collaboration regionally with regard to adaptation was underscored.
Over the past week, Guyana's representatives at the Climate Change
Conference were involved in negotiations in the technical sessions, which
included meetings of the Subsidiary Body on Science and Technological Advice
(SBSTA), during which one of the main topics reviewed was Reduced Emissions
from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD).
Guyana, along with other rainforest countries, has been lobbying for
adequate compensation for standing forests and a market-based mechanism to
be put in place as discussions are ongoing on a post-2012 Kyoto Protocol.
Other issues discussed at the Conference were Adaptation Fund, Development
and Transfer of Technologies and Capacity Building.
The Guyana delegation will continue negotiations and will participate in
important bilateral meetings with delegations from the United Kingdom, among
others.
The Bali Conference is a culmination of a 12-month climate debate.
It is expected to encourage a breakthrough in the form of a 'roadmap' for
future climate change deals.
The 'Bali Roadmap' is aimed at establishing a process to work on key
building blocks of a future climate change regime, including adaptation,
mitigation and technology cooperation, and financing the response to climate
change.
Guyana's primary positions being put forward at the Conference are
incentives for standing forests, the need for more support for adaptation
measures, and support with the access to technology.
Over the past years, various activities were undertaken by Government to aid
mitigation and adaptation to climate change in Guyana.
These include reactivation of the National Climate Change Committee,
establishment of the National Climate Unit, and engagement with various
multilateral and regional bodies to address issues at the planning and
project levels.
Additionally, Government has been increasing the network of climate
monitoring stations and has been designing and constructing new sea defences
to accommodate varying sea levels.
The rip-rap design allows for the raising of defences to prevent
overtopping.
Additionally, further studies on climate change impact and a climate change
vulnerability country assessment in agriculture will be conducted.
The administration remains committed to strengthening the country's options
that will help Guyana adapt to changes in climate in both the short and
longer term.
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