Guyana's forestry sector & REDD: New report
Guyana is a country with massive, and largely unspoiled, forest resources, totalling some 18.6 million hectares. A new report, titled "Forest Law Enforcement and Governance and Forest Practices in Guyana," has been published jointly by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Research. Authored by Jorge Trevin and Robert Nasi, the report emerges into a context of active REDD cooperation: in 2009, Norway and Guyana signed a Memorandum of Understanding under which Norway will pay Guyana up to $250 million over the next five years for forest conservation.
The study aims to produce "an independent assessment" of some of the key issues facing implementation of REDD in the country. Among its several key conclusions, the one most likely to generate headlines refers to a "level of illegality" in the forest sector that is "significant." However, the report goes on to say that this level of illegality is actually "lower than in several other major tropical timber producing countries in South America and around the world."
On the positive side, the report emphasises the strong interest and commitment on the part of the Guyanese government to improving forest governance. It also describes the country's relative success in resolving so-called "aboriginal lands issues," including progress in defining tenure rights and demarcating lands. It also points to the creation of consultation mechanisms and processes related to REDD, while noting that problems related to implementation of these were likely to persist. The report is generally positive on the prospects for REDD in the country, particularly in border areas with Suriname and Brazil, where there would likely be increased additionality (i.e., more forests would be lost there in the absence of REDD). Finally, the report discusses key issues facing REDD in Guyana such as potential conflicts with the mining sector, as well as the need to develop adequate monitoring capabilities.
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