Iwokrama Road Corridor

Although part of the SUA, the Iwokrama Road Corridor has distinct management plans and issues of concern. The area encompasses that portion of the Georgetown-Lethem Road that traverses the central Iwokrama Forest area, from the Kurupukari Crossing of the Essequibo River, near the village of Fairview, to the village of Surama. The Corridor is about 72km long (45 mi.) long and 20 to 100 metres (66-328 ft.) wide.  It is described in detail in the Iwokrama Road Corridor Management Plan 2003-2007 (IFRCMP). 

Road Corridor Management

Management responsibility and authority for the Georgetown-Lethem road corridor ultimately rests with the Government of Guyana. A detailed description and plans for the management of this zone can be found in the IFRCMP. The development of this plan involved consultations with stakeholders examination of the potential and actual social, physical environmental impact assessments of the Linden to Lethem portion of the road (the primarily unpaved, forested section of the Georgetown-Lethem Road).

Since 23 March 2004, a police officer has been stationed along the road to work along with Iwokrama Rangers who also function as Supernumerary Constables. The decision to establish a police presence on the road was made by the recently appointed Commissioner of Police, Winston Felix, DSM, and fulfils a commitment made by the GPF some time ago. With national security and the safety of road travelers in mind, vehicles may be subject to random searches.  Along the Forest road corridor Guyana's laws will be enforced, including speed limits, hunting restrictions and the provisions of the legislation that established the Iwokrama Forest, the Iwokrama Act (.pdf, 137 KB).

In April 2004, Iwokrama began working with several partners including the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Ministry of Public Works to improve safety and reduce ecological impacts along the Iwokrama Forest portion of the Georgetown-Lethem Road.

A grant received from WWF in October 2004 will now assist Iwokrama to increase the public's awareness of the issues that revolve around use and access to the Forest. The funds will cover the costs of materials required for road management, including the purchase of signs to advise road users, communications equipment such as radios, and two motor bikes to run road patrols. The donation will also support four rangers who will patrol and monitor forest transects that have been developed along the road to assess the impacts of road use on wildlife.

Gated Checkpoints

Other actions implemented by Iwokrama as part of its road management plan include the recent installation of checkpoints at either end of the Iwokrama Road Corridor. Effective 1st December 2004 Rangers and/or the GPF operates the gates during pre-determined hours and monitors all traffic. Outside the operating hours, the road is closed to all road users.

The northern gate is located at the Kurupukari Ranger Station near the Essequibo River crossing and the village of Fairview. it will be in operation and road users will be permitted to pass from 6:00 to 18:15 daily.

The southern gate is at the Corkwood Ranger Station, at the northern boundary of the Annai District, near the Surama Village junction. It will be in operation and road users will be permitted to pass from 4:30 to 16:30 daily.

Why Manage the Road?

The road has been greatly improved over the last two years and offers a much easier, quicker and more reliable transportation route from the coast to Guyana 's interior and to Lethem. Over the last few years traffic has increased dramatically, especially in the last 12 months. From May to September 2003 the road carried a monthly average of 104 trucks, 144 4WD vehicles and 22 buses every month. From October 2003 to March 2004 the average monthly traffic jumped to 146 trucks, 211 4WD vehicles, and 66 buses.

While the road will bring many benefits including increased access to markets for tourism, timber and other products, increased traffic will expand the number of road accidents, roadside environmental and solid waste management issues, illegal trafficking and other problems.

Road management is a particularly difficult issue for tropical rain forests and causes concern for many parties, as evidenced by this EcoAmericas article (MS Word file). A major cause of tropical rain forest loss is the opening of interior roads with insufficient consideration of the social, cultural and ecological impacts of new roads. Roads open previously isolated areas for rapid and unregulated development and it is critical to ensure that effective management systems are implemented to avoid negative consequences. In particular, community members and Iwokrama remain very concerned about the potential for illegal natural resource harvesting, increases in HIV and malaria infection rates, and cultural degradation within local communities.