We must show respect for our rainforests, we get little benefit now

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56521666

We must show respect for our rainforests, we get little benefit now
Monday, June 4th 2007

Dear Editor,

I would like to thank Mr. Peter Persaud for updating the public on the
'pillage and plunder of the commercial forests' of Akawini, Kwebanna,
Bethany, Orealla, Cabacaburi, (that famed birdland), Manawarin, and
Wakapau Amerindian communities. These vast projects for liquidating
billions of US dollars of Guyana's forestry wealth have clearly not met
local Amerindian expectations and perhaps those of the Government. A
broader vision and new policies in the agro-forestry sector would be
needed to ensure that sustainable logging with the appropriate wealth
transformations to 'industrialize' Guyana with its remaining stock of
timber occurs soonest.Other countries are taking a realistic look at
their agro-forestry sectors. The Ministry of Environment and Forestry
in India have oversight responsibilities for such projects as the 'Swan
River Integrated Watershed Management Project' and the 'Tripura Forest
Environment and Poverty Alleviation' under the auspices of the
President of India and loan agreements denominated in Japanese yen,
among a broad portfolio of similar projects across several states in
India. The objectives of these projects are
far-reaching-Afforesation

,Civil Works for soil and river
management-dams, embankments, sand and silt bars etc, community
development and livelihood improvement activities, biodiversity
conservation, supporting activities for forest conservation, technical
assistance and fund management. These are sustainable goals well beyond
'sustainable harvesting' of the forest taken in isolation.In African
Congo, the move is on to block turning vast forests into logging
concessions to repay new and old corporate and multilateral debt. Over
200 non-forest products and recreational uses of the forest are being
looked at as alternative sources of income for the poor. In the
Asia-Pacific region the highest rate of forest plantation in the world
was recorded over the past five years. Guyana is nowhere near tree-farm
tropical hardwood cultivated forests for sustainability and is unlikely
to achieve this with the largest logger already making losses on timber
harvesting only over a very long period.

Gross and Net Product in forestry

The FAO in its manual for environmental and economic accounts for
forestry reports the cost of forest depletion and degradation in
selected countries. For example, Costa Rica's cost is minus 5.2 % of
the value of output measured by the gross domestic product (GDP), while
that of Philippines is minus 3% of GDP. The cost measure for Guyana's
depletion of its non-renewable forestry resources and degradation of
the environment, including the raising of river bottoms in the riverain
areas and siltation of river-mouth estuaries is not included in the
FAO's report. It should be assumed to be at least that of Costa Rica's.
This wipes out the entire forestry sector 4.87 to 5 percent of Guyana's
forestry contribution to its GDP in 1997. Realistic policies should
therefore be in place to protect Guyana from itself-past failed
policies.

Guyana is on a broken down national treadmill since by its own account
forestry costs beyond depletion and degradation-monitoring, forestry
ranger services, border security etc., cannot be met with current
proceeds from harvesting. The forest is not a crop why are we
'harvesting' it?

Asset Pricing and Sustainability

in the economy

Sustainability should not be focused on mere 'harvesting.' We should
know how to cut trees without an axe in 2007 and how to smelt gold ore
better than the Aztecs and Incas. Local asset prices as cost to the
buyer, such as future houses for the rich and the poor and investor
river-cabins for the tourist industry would rise as the stock of local
resources is depleted or depopulated. All of Guyana would have an
economy that computes with New York prices and Guyanese wages well past
43 years. Something else would have to balance income and spending in
the economy.

We should show respect and appreciate the benefits of our rain forest,
our mountain forest, our evergreen forest, and our savannah forests,
treating each one as a refuge for our stock of biodiversity assets and
apply appropriate sustainable non-market and market management
principles to secure our benefits form each type of forest.

Yours faithfully,

Ganga Prasad Ramdas