Biodiversity and Tropical Forest Conservation, Protection and Management in Guyana submitted to USAID/Guyana by Jean Brennan Christy Johnson Safia Aggarwal July 2003 Table of Content Page Preface Acknowledgements Acronyms Executive Summary and Recommendations Section I. Country Profile A. BIOPHYSICAL RESOURCES……………………………………..……………..1 (1) Geographic Location (2) Natural Regions of Guyana (a) The Low Coastal Plain, (b) The Hilly Sand Clay Belt, (c) The Forested and Highland Region, (d) The Interior Savannas (3) The Guiana Shield (4) Geological Formations (5) Vegetation Types (6) Climate (7) Regional Significance (Biological Diversity) B. HUMAN RESOURCES……………………………………………………………4 (1) The People of Guyana (a) Cultural/Ethnic Groups, (b) Language (2) Social Services (a) Health Care, (b) Education (General) (3) Environmental Services (a) Environmental Education, (b) Environmental Research, (c) Non- Governmental Environmental Organizations (d) International Donors, Multilateral Banks, and United Nations Programs C. NATURAL RESOURCES………………………………………………………..12 (1) National Economy (2) Agricultural Resources (3) Mineral Resources (4) Forest Resources and Benefits of Forest Landscaper (5) Marine and Aquatic Resources Section II. Democratic Framework & Environmental Protection A. GUYANA’S LEGAL SYSTEM………………………………………………….18 (1) Overview (a) Ministries, (b) Parliament, (c) Justice System (2) Administration (3) Relevant Environmental Legislation B. ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES AND INSTITUTIONS………………………23 (1) National Environmental Policies and Implementing Institutions (a) Institutional capacity, (b) Legislative Adequacy (2) Regarding International Environmental Treaties and Conventions (a) CITES, (b) CBD, (c) UNFCCC Page i Section III. Issues and Opportunities……………………………………………...35 A. THE TRANSPORTATION NETWORD AND “THE ROAD”………………….36 (1) What Is Being Proposed and Why? (2) Who Receives the Benefits and Who Bears the Costs? (a) Economic Benefits Associated with Roads, Economics Costs Associated with Roads, (c) Social Benefits Associated with Roads, (d) Social Costs Associated with Roads, (e) Environmental Benefits, (f) Environmental Costs (3) Recommendations B. FORESTRY SECTOR IN GUYANA………………………….………………….50 (1) Guyana’s Forest Resources (2) Commercial Timber Production Forests (a) Harvesting Agreements/Permits, (b) Timber Yields. (c) Illegal Logging (3) Certification of Timber Products (4) Non-Commercial Forests (5) Non-Timber Resource Base (Non-Timber Forest Products: NTFPs) (6) Recommendations Related to the Forestry Sector C. TOURISM SECTOR AND PROTECTED AREAS………………………………66 (1) Tourism as Part of the National Development Strategy (2) Why and What Kind of Tourism? (3) Identifying the Market and the Audience (4) Ecotourism Differs from Other Segments of the Tourism Industry (a) Local Economies, (b) Cultural Sustainability and Exchange (5) Necessary Tourism Draw – A System of Protected Areas for Guyana (6) What’s Needed to Develop Guyana’s Ecotourism Potential? (a) At the National Level, (b) At the Sector Level – Specifically Ecotourism, (c) Promoting Nature Tour Operators and Ecolodges, (d) Protected Area Management and Planning (7) Recommendations Related to the Tourism Sector Literature Cited ……………………………………………………………………..84 Appendix I. Author Profile …………………………………………………………87 Appendix II. Interview Schedule and Contacts …………………………………….88 Appendix III. Interview Guidelines…………………………………………………90 Appendix IV. Natural Resource-related Legislation ...……………………………..92 Appendix V. List of Protected Species……………………………………………...98 Appendix VI. Forest Certification Overview………………………………………110 Page ii List of Figures Figure Description Page 1.1 Map of Guyana 1 1.2 Map of the Guianas 2 1.3 Geology of Guiana Shield 2 1.4 Kaieteur Escarpment 3 1.5 Centre for the Study of Biological Diversity 7 2.1 National Coat of Arms 18 2.2 Council Regions 19 2.3 Legislative Framework Related to the Management and Access to 22 Natural Resources in Guyana 2.4 Relationship of Implementing NRM Institutions and the Legislative 23 Bodies with Oversight Responsibilities (see text for legends) 3.1 “The Road” linking Georgetown to Lethem and offering Brazil 37 access to Guyana’s coastal ports and harbors 3.2 Amerindian homestead and young woman 41 3.3 Road Effect on Forest Edge 43 3.4 Wildlife Use of Roads 44 3.5 Series of photos of small-scale surface mining 46 3.6 Selective Logging and Drought Effects 47 3.7 Expanded Deforestation Feedback 47 3.8 Cane Furniture Made From Non-Timber Forest Products 63 3.9 Hand-crafted Figurines Sculpted from Latex Collected from 63 Bullet Trees. 3.10 Manicole palm in Nature 64 3.11 Exported Heart-of-Palm 64 3.12 Map of State Forests, Protected Areas and Proposed Protected 74 Amerindian Lands Page iii List of Boxes Box No. Description Page 1.1 Programs and Projects Studying the Flora of the Guianas 8 1.2 Guyana Mineral Reserves 14 2.1 Regional Profile of Guyana 20 2.2 Guyana’s Environmental Policy and Legislative History 21 2.3 National Environmental Plans and Development Strategies 24 3.1 Vision of Completed Transportation Infrastructure 37 3.2 Description of the Georgetown-Lethem Road 38 3.3 Classification of Guyana’s Natural Forests 48 3.4 Overview of Iwokrama Forest and International Research Centre 53 3.5 Guyana’s National Forest Policy Statement (1997) 54 3.6 Guyana’s Forest Operations Code of Practice/Forest Management Plans 57 and Guidelines 3.7 The Ituni Small Loggers Association (ISLA) 61 3.8 History of the Forest Timber Industry in Guyana 61 3.9 Trends to Support Certification – International Demand 62 3.10 History of Guyana’s Tourism Sector 66 3.11 Strengths and Weaknesses in Developing the Tourism Sector in Guyana 67 3.12 Types of Tourists Likely to be Attracted to Guyana’s Unique Tourism 68 3.13 Market Profile of Nature Tourist 69 3.14 Definitions of “Ecotourism” 70 3.15 Anticipated Benefits from Ecotourism in Development 70 3.16 Risks to Communities: Potential Negative Socioeconomic and Cultural 72 Impacts 3.17 Currently Recognized Tourist Destinations of Natural or Scenic Beauty 73 3.18 The Iwokrama Experience – Demonstrating that it’s Feasible 77 3.19 Principles of Ecotourism 79 3.20 Nature Tour Operator Guidelines 78 3.21 Characteristics of “Green” Hotels 79 3.22 Design and Operation of an Ecolodge 80 3.23 Donor Support toward Promoting Ecotourism Development 81 Page iv List of Tables Table Description Page 3.1 Principal Commercial Timber Species 55 3.2 Guyana’s Land Use Pattern 55 3.3 Allocation of the State Forest for Commercial Use 56 3.4 Raw Wood Exports: Values from Guyana and Percentage of its Volume 58 of the Tropical America Int’l Tropical Timber Producers Markets Page v Preface In development of a new Country Strategy (FY 2004-2008), USAID\Guyana is required to carry out a background assessment to ensure that its new plan is concordant with the conservation of the country’s biological diversity and forest resources. This assessment is mandated under Sections 118 and 119 of the Foreign Assistance Act (FAA) that require: Section 118- Each country development strategy statement or other country plan prepared by the Agency for International Development shall include an analysis of- - (1) the actions necessary in that country to achieve conservation and sustainable management of tropical forests, and (2) the extent to which the actions proposed for support by the Agency meet the needs thus identified; Section 119- Each country development strategy statement or other country plan prepared by the Agency for International Development shall include an analysis of- - (1) the actions necessary in that country to conserve biological diversity, and (2) the extent to which the actions proposed for support by the Agency meet the needs thus identified. At the request of USAID\Guyana, Drs. Christy Johnson and Teri Allendorf carried out an initial assessment in July/Aug 2002 to help prioritize environmental and natural resource- related needs in Guyana and to help identify the role(s) that USAID could play in addressing those needs. Later, Drs. Jean Brennan and Safia Aggarwal returned to Guyana to carry out a more detailed analysis of biodiversity and tropical forests required as a part of strategic planning by the FAA Sections 118 and 119. This report is the result of these combined efforts. Background information on the authors appear in Appendix I of this report. The recommendations and information in this report are based on meetings; review of key documents provided by the Mission and the groups interviewed; and background material available on the internet. Numerous groups and individuals representing the government, non-governmental organizations, the forestry, mining, and tourism industries, Amerindian communities, other donors, and research organizations were contacted. Several people in Washington, D.C. who are knowledgeable about Guyana were also interviewed. A list of those people interviewed appear in Appendix II and the interview outlined used in the follow-up country visit are found in Appendix III. This assessment is a synthesis of the information available on the biological and forest resources in Guyana and the current status of these resources and the recognized pressures impacting them. Page vi Acknowledgements The authors wish to acknowledge the support and personal interest of U.S. Ambassador Godard and USAID Mission Director Dr. Mike Sarhan, and for the tremendous help provided by the USAID staff in Guyana (Dr. Charles Cutshall, Ms. Dhanmattie Sohai, Mr. Daniel Wallace, Mr. Winston Harlequin, Ms. Chloe Noble, Mr.