Guyana's Ambitious Marine Conservation Strategy

Even though Guyana’s marine and coastal environment is of immense biological and socioeconomic importance, to date, conservation interventions related to the marine environment have been limited to mainly sea turtle conservation, the establishment of the coastal Shell Beach Protected Area (SBPA) in 2011 and mangrove restoration along some coastal shorelines from 2010 to present. But as our blue economy develops, so will the increasing impacts on our ocean resources, in particular by the oil and gas sector. This will result in pressures on our marine and coastal ecosystems to maintain their productivity and to continue to provide important ecosystem services to sustain biodiversity and our livelihoods.

Though much less studied that their terrestrial counterpart, our coastal ecosystems are highly productive. The inter-tidal mudflats and narrow sandy and shell beaches, and in some areas, mangrove forests, contribute to stabilizing our particularly vulnerable coastline. The shell beaches provide a nesting habitat for four species of IUCN endangered sea turtles and the shoreline is an important birding site, scarlet ibises, Caribbean herons and egrets all foraging along the coast. It is estimated that the Shell Beach Protected Area alone, supports over 200 species of native and migratory birds. Important mammalian species that occupy our marine waters include the Guiana Dolphin (Sotalia guianensis), West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus), the Sei Whale (Balaenoptera borealis), the Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus), and Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus).

As the threats to our marine and coastal ecosystems increase, so does the urgency for greater focus to be placed on wider marine and coastal conservation interventions. Not only to ensure the country’s resilience to climate change, but as importantly to maintain a healthy ocean on which our coastal communities especially the indigenous ones depend on for their survival.