The year 2011 has been declared The International Year of Forests by the United Nations to raise awareness and strengthen the sustainable forest management, conservation, and sustainable development of all types of forests for the benefit of current and future generations.
In recognition of the importance of forests, not only as a form of sustenance but also a form of long-term survival against climate change threats, there are a number of activities planned by the Guyana government. Among these will be continued emphasis on the Mangrove Restoration project that was started only last year to replenish the trees growing by the river banks. Most of these trees were previously used as firewood or had been destroyed by fishermen. It has been scientifically proven that those trees help to arrest soil erosion while absorbing carbon dioxide — a gas that is harmful to the world’s ozone layer.