Many Amerindians welcome payments for protecting forests but some worry they may have to give up traditional cultivation practices in return
MAINSTAY-WHYAKA, Guyana (AlertNet) – For Guyana's Amerindians, being paid for protecting forests is welcome recognition of a service they've provided for centuries, but some are concerned they may be forced to give up traditional cultivation practices in return.
The government is trying to persuade forest communities to sign up to its "low carbon development strategy", a framework for bilateral deals with rich countries and projects under the U.N.-backed Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) programme that will conserve Guyana's forests as part of global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
In October, the governments of Guyana and Norway concluded a pioneering REDD agreement for funding to help the tiny South American state keep its forests intact. That has paved the way for Guyana to receive a first installment of $30 million, a fraction of the $250 million it could earn up to 2015 under the deal, depending on its performance.
Many of Guyana's native peoples can see the benefits of participating in the government scheme, as their traditional way of life already follows a green path.
"Our feeling is that we were living the life of low-carbon development over the years, so it is just a matter of opting in now," explains Michael Williams, the elected leader (Toshao) of the Amerindian village of Annai in Rupununi.
With deforestation and forest degradation accounting for up to 17 percent of the emissions that cause global warming, scientists and climate experts have concluded that REDD is an important tool for tackling climate change.
In exchange for compensation, local communities are expected to carry out mining, forestry and farming in a sustainable way, preventing the over-exploitation of natural resources.
In Guyana, those Amerindian communities that sign up to the government strategy will be entitled to a pro-rata share of payments for forest conservation projects that generate carbon credits for sale to investors, governments and companies in industrialised countries looking to offset their emissions.
NO MORE SLASH AND BURN?
Some, however, are reluctant to take the plunge because the government has yet to finalise guidelines for their participation.
They are concerned they may have to give up traditional practices including "slash and burn", where areas of forest are cleared for farming and then abandoned to natural re-vegetation. Government officials have told communities they will be advised on alternative techniques.
"Our concern is that we still don't know what some of the standards are to be followed for those who opt in," said Yvonne Pearson, the Toshao of Mainstay-Whyaka in Region Two - one of Guyana's 10 administrative regions - on the Essequibo coast. "We do shifting cultivation, and we are concerned that this is one of the things that may have to stop if we decide to opt in."
Nonetheless, the people of Mainstay-Whyaka are exploring new ways of farming. The community has put forward proposals to diversify from pineapples - which are becoming harder to grow because of local climate changes - to other fruits and vegetables that can easily be grown on one plot of land without resorting to "slash and burn".
In Annai, the mood is more positive. "We want to be the first of the 16 villages (in North Rupununi) to opt in (to the government strategy)," said Toshao Williams. "We want to show the other communities bickering on the side that these could be the benefits."
The money villagers receive from the government scheme could go towards expanding economic activities like fishing, agriculture, cattle-rearing and sewing for women, he said. Other communities have used funding from climate change programmes to buy computers and internet access, he added.
Some of Annai's public buildings have electricity, but not individual homes. Local people use the computers at the Bina Hill Institute, which houses a high school and teacher-training facility.
Most families live far apart, making it difficult to provide electricity through a grid system. The government plans to give solar panels to each household in these spread-out communities.
DEVELOPMENT BOOST
Valerie De Jonge, Toshao of Capoey in Region Two, stressed the importance of allowing local communities to choose whether to cooperate with the government's low-carbon development strategy, but said those who do can expect to develop faster.
"For the communities that don't opt in, they will have to keep working for their day-to-day living," she said.
Derrick John, Toshao of the Region Five village of Moraikobe in the county of Berbice, urged the government to step up efforts to consult with villagers.
Some critics, mainly from political opposition parties, have said consultations have not adhered to the principle of "free, prior and informed consent" as outlined in the government strategy.
"Many Amerindian communities still have a problem interpreting this initiative," John said.
"We want them to be fully aware, to understand and look at the benefits ... We have already been experiencing the effects of climate change, so therefore we could play a part in actually rectifying the problems we face."
Some communities also want land issues addressed before agreeing to plans for the use of their forests. For Amerindians, the country's lack of land demarcation has prevented them defining their village boundaries, hindering progress in obtaining land titles.
This year and next, however, communities will receive $8 million in funding for land demarcation and titling under the REDD agreement with Norway. This is in addition to payments they would get from signing up for forest conservation projects.
Colin Klautky, an executive member of the Guyana Organisation for Indigenous Peoples, hopes the money will support villagers to carry out their own demarcation work, rather than paying outsiders to do it for them.
Klautky said the government needs to outline in simple terms – preferably translated into indigenous languages – the message that Guyana's development could receive a major boost from preserving its standing forests under agreements like that with Norway.
Mainstay-Whyaka Toshao Pearson described the prospect of forest conservation payments to indigenous peoples as "most timely", since their livelihoods depend on agriculture, which will have to be adapted to the impacts of climate change.
"We see this as an opportunity to help us further develop these communities," she said.
Johann Earle is a Georgetown-based freelance writer with an interest in climate change issues.
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