Reforestation initiative launched for mined-out, deforested areas in Guyana

…over 1400 seedlings of 11 species planted, another 1600 slated for this year

The Natural Resources Ministry has rolled out a reforestation initiative targeting mined-out areas, where more than 1400 seedlings have already been planted and another 1600 seedlings are expected to be planted this year.
Dubbed the National Forest Restoration Initiative (NFRI), this project centres around a coordinated approach to forest restoration that utilises native tree species in mined-out, degraded, and deforested areas in Guyana.
This initiative is being implemented by the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).
According to a statement from the Natural Resources Ministry on Wednesday, works have already commenced in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) in the Dakoura area, where approximately 23.3 hectares (ha) of land will soon be replanted with native species.

Tauroniro, Simarupa, Baromalli, Bloodwood, Awati, Kabukalli, Trysil, Kaditiri, Soft Wallaba, Futui and Fukadi seedlings are currently being piloted.
“To date, a total of 1484 seedlings of 11 species were planted in 11 ha, with approximately 1660 more to be planted before February 2024. To support this activity, two Seedling Stations have been established, one at the Yarrowkabra Training Centre on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway and another in Wismar, Linden. Here, seedlings collected from natural forests are hardened for planting at the restoration sites,” the statement detailed.
The Ministry noted that a key component of this process is community involvement and capacity building. To this end, it was disclosed that youths from the West Watooka, Silvertown and Half-Mile areas have received training on seedling collection, seedling station care and management, out-planting and restoration site monitoring and management.
In fact, three individuals from these communities are currently working with the NFRI team to manage the Wismar Seedling Station and the Dakoura Pilot Site. This component, the ministry said, is envisioned to continue throughout the life of this project.
Moreover, the NFRI team has also begun data collection to analyse species performance, and site performance and assess the current methodology used. Information collected from this pilot site will inform future restoration initiatives undertaken.
The rollout of this NFRI is in keeping with the Guyana Government’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030, which is a framework for achieving a fair, inclusive, sustainable and prosperous Guyana that rises to the challenge of building a low-carbon economy.
It specifically speaks to tenets of the LCDS on exploring options for land reclamation and reforestation of mined areas under the commitment to sustainable forestry and low-impact mining. By using the NFRI to restore forests using indigenous tree species, these activities can now incorporate alternative livelihoods for forest-dependent communities.
“Overall, the NFRI – and by extension, the LCDS 2030 – stands as a beacon of hope for restoring Guyana’s ecosystems while empowering local communities. Through its holistic approach and ongoing community involvement, it not only addresses environmental concerns but also lays the groundwork for a more resilient and harmonious future in the region,” the Natural Resources Ministry said.
In Budget 2024, the Guyana Government has earmarked $300 million towards land reclamation and reforestation efforts. Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat had told the Committee of Supply during the Consideration of the Budget Estimates in the National Assembly last month, that this project had commenced in 2023 in Region 10 with some 60 acres of land identified for reclamation/ reforestation. He had noted too that works have been significantly advanced, with over 100 persons being employed.
The Minister explained that the 2024 Budget allocation would go towards continuation of the project, with focus this year on another 60 acres in Regions One (Barima-Waini) and Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), at Matthews Ridge and Mahdia respectively, where there are significant mined-out areas.
“This will help significantly to boost our capacity as a green country, our forest coverage, and in the long term add more carbon credits to our already verified credits by ART-TREES,” Bharrat stated.
In December 2022, Guyana became the first country to receive certification of over 33 million carbon credits by the Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART). That issuance of the REDD+ jurisdictional carbon credits paved the way for the historic US$750 million carbon credit sale between Guyana and Hess Corporation.
The Natural Resources Minister went on to defend the budget allocation as an “investment”.
“When I was defending my budget to the Finance Minister, I said, ‘Look at it as an investment, and not an expense’, because already we are earning money from our forests…through the US$750M deal…So, it’s more of an investment, and it’s needed especially in the context of climate change and our own NDCs – Nationally Determined Contributions – to fighting climate change, and our commitments as a country to all the agreements that we would have signed, including our own LCDS (2030),” Bharrat stressed. (G8)