Guyana gets $87M boost for natural resources protection -PM calls for “sufficient rewards” for maintaining forests

Guyana gets $87M boost for natural resources protection -PM calls for
“sufficient rewards” for maintaining forests
Kaieteur News, 24 October 2007
Guyana 's fight to preserve its forests was given an $87 million boost
yesterday by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Guianas, even as Government
stressed that substantial assistance is needed to really make an
impact.

During the signing of grants at the Grand Coastal Inn, Le Ressouvenir,
East Coast Demerara, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, echoed recent
statements by President Bharrat Jagdeo warning that unless credible
help comes from overseas donors to assist Guyana , it will be an uphill
task.

Multilateral and other agencies must be cognizant that “sufficient
rewards” is the only way to make it possible, he added. The Prime
Minister stressed that Guyana is willing but this has to be matched in
a credible way.

The Guyana Forestry Commission received $40 million while the Guyana
Geology and Mines Commission received $30 million.

The battle being waged by the Hydrometeorological Service of the
Ministry of Agriculture to maintain quality of the country's water
resources has been further supplemented by the injection of over $15
million.

The grants being issued by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Guianas are
earmarked to assist projects to manage Guyana 's forests, to reduce
gold mining pollution, and aid freshwater conservation and wildlife
protection. The grants are also targeting citizens for increased
education on how to protect the forests and the environment.

During the signing of the grants, Minister of Agriculture Robert
Persaud urged the agency heads to ensure measures are in place to
satisfy the operational, technical and financial reporting
requirements.

“We must recognise that these grants were given to assist in taking our
national programme forward and as such we have an obligation to ensure
that they are successfully managed and implemented.”

Charging local communities to take advantage of the grants, Persaud
said that the relevant agencies must be held accountable. He reminded
that his Ministry stands ready to take complaints if there is any
complacency.

Dutch Ambassador Tanya Van Gool, underlining Holland 's commitment to
the battle of sustainable forest management with a Euros 3.7 million
injection to the WWF Guianas fund, noted the role played by the
environment in fighting poverty and preserving peace.

She compared Guyana to Holland , which although small in size, has over
60 million people, compared to this country which has less than one
million.

WWF Guianas, since 1999, has been executing a regional biodiversity
conservation in Guyana , Suriname and French Guiana . WWF Guianas is
part of a larger WWF network which aims at preserving ecosystems in the
Guianas.

Present at yesterday's signing was Regional Director of WWF Guianas,
Dominiek Plouvier, who in a presentation disclosed that the
organisation has more than six million members worldwide and the body
is focusing especially on responsible gold mining and sustainable
forestry practices.

The signing yesterday represents the start of the second phase of WWF
Guianas Sustainable Natural Resources Management Project which is
expected to last for four years during which time it will be assessed
periodically to ensure it is meeting set targets, he said.