27 Mar 2006 - Georgetown,
Guyana – In a record-setting accomplishment for
tropical forest conservation in South America, a
timber company has annouced that 570,000ha of its
forests in Guyana will be certified after meeting
the rigorous environmental, social, and economic
standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
With technical and financial support
from WWF, the tracts of forests owned by the Barama
Company Ltd become the largest tropical natural
forest certified by FSC in the world.
“With this milestone, Barama not
only serves as a catalyst for improved forest management
systems in the Guianas but also ensures that the
fragile tropical ecosystem is effectively and efficiently
utilized by the company so that the national patrimony
is protected for the benefit of present and future
generations,” said Dr Patrick Williams, a programme
officer with WWF Guyana.
Support from WWF included training
forestry staff in reduced impact logging practices,
improving factory safety operations, and reviewing
the company’s performance against the rigorous standards
set by the FSC.
The Forest Stewardship Council
(FSC) is an independent, non-profit organization
that provides standard setting, trademark assurance
and accreditation services to companies and organizations
interested in responsible forestry. Founded in 1993
by a diverse group of stakeholders, including WWF,
FSC’s mission is to promote environmentally appropriate,
socially beneficial, and economically viable management
of the world’s forests.
“The FSC certification enables
Barama not only to retain access to its current
markets in the United States, but it opens the door
to new buyers in Europe and North America that demand
forest products from well managed forests,"
said Girwar Lalaram, Barama’s General Manager. "At
the same time, it guarantees that Barama will continue
fulfilling its social and economic responsibilities
to the Guyanese nation.”
In a country with high unemployment
rates, Barama employs at least 1,500 people, benefiting
some 5,000 family members. Before certification,
the company was in danger of down-sizing its operations
and reducing its employment levels. Today, Barama’s
expansion plan forecasts increasing employment in
the area.
“This is very important for Guyana
and for the wider area," said Guyana’s Forests
Commissioner James Singh. "It’s a good example
of how good social and environmental practices can
improve business as a whole. We hope that Barama’s
certification serves as an impetus for other companies
to follow and also for the development of the national
standards embarked upon by the Guyana National Initiative
for Forest Certification.”
According to WWF, this has been
a win-win situation for the Barama Company and for
the local people. While the forest company strengthened
its relations with current buyers by seeking forest
certification, employees benefit from a better work
environment. For instance, people working on the
concession are allowed to establish their own team
of workers. In addition, Barama provides social
services for communities around the concession such
as health services, medicines, transportation in
an out of remote areas and emergency assistance.
The Barama Company certified concession
is located in the west-central portion of Guyana,
in the northern outer limits of the Amazon forest
in the Guiana Shield, occupying primarily the Cuyuni
River Basin. The company has been in operation for
over 15 years. Its main product has been plywood
for export markets in the US and the Caribbean.
END NOTES:
• WWF has been present in the
Guianas — Suriname, Guyana and French Guyana — since
1998, focusing its conservation work on sustainable
forest management, goldmining pollution abatement,
protected areas management, species management,
and regional integration, coordination and networking.
In particular, WWF works in the Guianan Ecoregion
Complex — part of WWF’s Global 200 campaign to conserve
critical ecoregions worldwide. The Guianas ecoregion
is characterized by vast areas of pristine and undisturbed
tropical rainforests, mountain ranges and savannas
and extremely high levels of endemism.
• Support for Barama's certification efforts was
made possible through funding from the Dutch government
(DGIS), French government (FFEM) and WWF.
