Visiting U.S. professor holds talks on sustainable forestry, climate change

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Robert Persaud last Friday met with U.S. Embassy Economic and Commercial Officer Jeffrey Barrus, and Dr Janaki Alavalapati, senior fellow with the Energy and Climate Partnership of Americas (ECPA).
Barrus expressed his appreciation to the minister for organising the meetings with Dr Alavalapati and the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC); Protected Areas Commission (PAC); and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) earlier in the week. He noted that Dr Alavalapati also met with other government officials and NGOs throughout the week.

Dr Alavalapati reiterated the U.S.’s commitment to energy and climate change by making reference to President Obama’s 2009 visit to Trinidad and Tobago. He emphasised that there are seven pillars under the broad thematic area of energy and climate change; however, one of them which is of vital importance to Guyana is sustainable forestry and land use.
Dr Alavalapati brought to the attention of the minister, five themes which emerged over the course of the week in the meetings with the agencies and commissions under the purview of the ministry. These five themes are: research in lesser used species (timber and non-timber); exploration in value added opportunities; assisting Amerindian communities to increase their competitiveness; capacity building, both at the governmental and academic level; and addressing multiple land-use concerns. He added that an idea for consideration is reclamation of mined-out gold and bauxite sites.
Priority activities
The minister responded by discussing several priority activities and policies that the agencies and commissions are working on as it relates to the themes that Dr Alavalapati mentioned. He recognised the importance of all of the themes, but specifically elaborated on value added products and multiple land use.
The minister explained that for value added production to increase, Guyana needs reliable and renewable energy sources to boost its competitiveness. He made reference to the Land Use Plan, which is being finalised, and added that it will aid in the planning process for multiple land use.
Minister Persaud indicated that two plant species that are considered for cultivation on mined-out sites are bamboo and teak; however, he noted that they must be commercially viable species. The minister recognised that there is a need to build technical capacity within this area and a high level of dedicated expertise in developing policy and implementation is required.
Dr Alavalapati briefly discussed the possibilities of bio-energy in Guyana with the minister. The minister alluded to a draft bio-energy policy and a road map and believes that there are tremendous possibilities within the industry. In concluding, the senior fellow asserted that the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry has the unique strength to balance the extractive sector (mining and forestry) with environmental management in Guyana.