Press Release 12 October 2004

Iwokrama Moves Ahead in its Road Management Plans With Financial Assistance from WWF

Georgetown, Guyana - Iwokrama International Centre announced that yesterday its Director General, Graham Watkins, Ph.D., signed a WWF grant for G$2.3M to undertake additional actions to manage the portion of the Georgetown-Lethem Road that runs through the heart of the Iwokrama Forest, known as the Iwokrama Road Corridor. Iwokrama's road management plans are intended to improve safety for humans and wildlife, and reduce ecological impacts due to road use. This 72km stretch of road extends from the northern entrance of the Iwokrama Forest at the Kurupukari Crossing of the Essequibo River (near the village of Fairview), to the northern boundary of the Annai District (at the turning to the village of Surama). Iwokrama International Centre manages this portion of the road in collaboration with the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Ministry of Public Works.

The grant from WWF will 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.

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. Gates have been erected at the Kurupukari Ranger Station in the north, and the Corkwood Ranger Station in the south. Rangers are monitoring traffic between the hours of 06:00 and 18:00, when the ferry crossing is in operation.

According to David Singh, Ph.D., Iwokrama's Director of Resource Management & Training, "Iwokrama is extremely grateful to the support it has received from WWF for its road management efforts. Managing the [Iwokrama] Road Corridor is one of the key elements of our overall forest management, as it relates directly to the conservation and sustainable use of the Iwokrama Forest . Establishing routine patrols and gated checkpoints on the road are just two of a multi-pronged approach designed to improve safety for road users, Iwokrama Forest visitors and the wildlife in the region. Other activities include police presence at Ranger Stations and future roadside visitor facilities. Iwokrama and the GPF will also soon discuss with stakeholders the closure of the gates overnight - again, when the ferry is not in operation."

The Georgetown-Lethem Road has been greatly improved over the last two years and offers easier, quicker, and more reliable transportation from the coast to Guyana 's interior and to Lethem. As a result, traffic has increased dramatically, and now includes public buses and many private vehicles. While road improvement offers many benefits for Guyana, including increased access for tourism, timber and other products, increased traffic also expands 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. 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. While roads bring critical new development, roads also open access to previously isolated areas and it is critical to ensure that effective management systems are implemented to avoid potential negative consequences.