WWF gets British grant for forestry development here ...towards poverty reduction…

WWF gets British grant for forestry development here
...towards poverty reduction…
By Neil Marks
Guyana Chronicle, 11 August 2007

British High Commissioner Mr. Farser Wheeler hands over the agreement
to help two interior communities develop forestry management plans to
WWF Regional Representative Mr. Dominiek Plouvier. Minister of
Agriculture Mr. Robert Persaud is at centre.
THE British Government yesterday made a 100, 000 pounds (Sterling)
grant available to World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to help empower the people
of Kwebana and Batavia in Guyana develop forest management plans for
improving their livelihoods and reduce illegal logging.


A similar initiative will also be executed in neighbouring Suriname by
the same agency and British High Commissioner, Mr. Fraser Wheeler, who
signed the agreement, said the expected results from the programme will
be better forestry regulation and enforcement in the identified
forests.

He said another objective is capacity building in the beneficiary
communities to manage their resources in a sustainable way.

Regional Representative of WWF, Mr. Dominiek Plouvier, who was the
other signatory to the agreement with Wheeler, said, not only will the
project enable the communities to develop community forestry modules
but help them secure markets for their produce.

Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Robert Persaud, who was at the signing,
lauded the scheme, pointing out that the Guyana Government recognises
the important role community forestry groups can play in poverty
reduction through job creation and provision of other spin-off benefits
to the wider economy.

He said the importance Government places on community forestry is
demonstrated in the fact that the revised legislation currently before
Parliament has an entire section dedicated to community concessions.

Kwebana, perhaps one of the most remote places in this country located
in the North West District of Region One (Barima/Waini), relies heavily
on the forest for its economic sustenance.

“We believe that, with appropriate support and guidance, this community
has tremendous potential to develop their forest activities to yield
them significant benefits to boost their livelihoods,” Persaud
remarked.

He said, for Batavia, situated along Cuyuni River in Region Seven
(Cuyuni/Mazaruni), forestry is also the main economic activity.

Persaud said that community, too, is well positioned to bolster their
development in a sustainable manner and the forestry sector was
fortunate to receive support from the British Government for
institutional strengthening of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC).

The GFC, he said, was able to develop a social development programme
through which community forestry activities were coordinated and
executed between 1996 and 2003.