Guyana’s sustainable forestry use gains international recognition

TIMES INT'L

A technical team from Ghana visiting Guyana and met with Natural Resources and the Environment Minister, Robert Persaud to learn more about its chainsaw milling project funded by the European Union and implemented by the Forestry Training Centre Inc, with oversight by the Guyana’s Forestry Commission (GFC) and Iwokrama. They will also learn from Guyana’s system and ascertain what can be implemented in Ghana.

Minister Persaud said whilst this project has been ongoing Guyana made provision for small loggers to have access to forest resources via state forest permissions as the issue of illegal forestry operations, particularly by chainsaw operators was a threat faced acutely, as such, the emergence and rapid development of the chainsaw milling sub-sector created challenges for the GFC.

“The large number of people who rushed into the sub-sector, encouraged by the relatively low capital requirements and short product cycle were not familiar with the forestry legislation and guidelines governing access to forest resources or removal of forest produce… this led to conflict with legal loggers as well as with the forestry commission and other stakeholders,” Minister Persaud said.

Additionally, there was the urgent need for the GFC to ensure that chainsaw milling practices were aligned with the national legal framework for sustainable forest management.

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