15 new fish species: Discovery highlights Guyana’s biodiversity riches, global importance – VP

The recent announcement that 15 new fresh water fish species were found in Guyana, has been welcomed by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, who noted that this may very well be the tip of the iceberg as Guyana is one of the few places in the world where there are large tracts of unexplored, virgin forests still intact.
The Protected Areas Commission (PAC) recently presented the preliminary findings of an inventory it compiled over a 20-day period. During this presentation, Devya Hemraj, who participated in the Acarai-Corentyne Corridor leg of the biodiversity inventory, had revealed that 15 new fresh water fish species were found.

At his Thursday last press conference, the Vice President spoke of the importance of the discovery and its connection to the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), particularly when it comes to the protection of biodiversity.
“It’s something consistent with what we’ve been saying, that we are a part of the world that is teeming with biodiversity. That you have some of the highest concentration of biodiversity in the world, in our country. And it’s also consistent with the move by the Government of Guyana to enhance protection of diversity, along the lines of the expanded LCDS.”
According to Jagdeo, global recognition and the securing of funds for the preservation of biodiversity are among the five new pillars in the LCDS. As a matter of fact, Jagdeo hinted that the discovery of these new species may be the tip of the iceberg.

“If you do research in these areas, you will find that new species or large amounts of biodiversity in very geographically limited areas. We’re one of the few countries in the world, where we can say we have parts of our territory unexplored as yet, and we’ve kept them in a pristine environment or state,” the Vice President said.
“When you compare that to a lot of the developed world. Like the UK, I think they only have like two per cent of their original forest. I think they’ve cut down 98 per cent of their original forests. You have some new forest. But only two per cent of the original forest. Most of our forest is the original forest, been there for hundreds of years, maybe going back to thousands of years.”
Jagdeo also expressed hope that through the plans to overhaul the zoo, the Government can raise awareness on biodiversity for persons, particularly children, around Guyana. He noted the importance of the next generation being able to recognise Guyana’s biodiversity and the need to protect it.
“For me, that is a huge teaching facility in the botanical gardens, for the children across the country to be able to first hand come in contact with their future. Because it’s up to them to first of all recognise what we have. And then keep it intact. And that’s why we’re paying great attention to that project.”

Last week, the PAC had announced that one of the largest-ever scientific expeditions to Guyana’s rainforest had been completed, during the process of an almost month-long survey to the northern reaches of the Amazon region.
It was also announced by the PAC that the biodiversity inventory of southern Guyana, that was coordinated by the PAC and the Chicago Field Museum was presented at the Umana Yana, Kingston. At the time, fish researcher Hemraj had explained what their observations were during the survey of the Acarai-Corentyne Corridor.
“Over three weeks, we used a bunch of different fishing gears to ensure we captured as much fish species that we possibly could. From this, we yielded 160 species of fresh water fishes and from this, 15 are confirmed new species or new records for Guyana. What’s even more exciting is that more than 20 of the species that we collected are new to science,” she had said.
“The Berbice River has a large number of endemic species, meaning that the fishes there can only be found there and nowhere else. So, by including all three headwaters, we are preserving and protecting fish species that are only found in that part of Guyana.”
The expedition into the Acarai-Corentyne Corridor was conducted by 39 Guyanese experts, in association with 17 experts from overseas. (G3)