Press Release 25 November 2004

Road Travel Check Points to be Initiated for the Iwokrama Road Corridor

Iwokrama Forest, Guyana - Iwokrama International Centre announced today that after careful evaluation and discussions with stakeholders, Iwokrama Rangers and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) will on 1st December 2004, begin operating gated checkpoints on the Georgetown-Lethem Road, at the two entrances to Iwokrama Forest. The Georgetown-Lethem Road runs through the heart of the Iwokrama Forest, and the 72km stretch of road is known as the Iwokrama Road Corridor. Gate operating hours will coincide with the operational hours of the ferry that transports road users across the Essequibo River, at the northern boundary of the Iwokrama Forest. Outside of the ferry crossing hours the gates will be closed to all road users, while allowing for traffic to exit the Iwokrama Forest.

The northern gate is located at the Kurupukari Ranger Station near the Essequibo River crossing and the village of Fairview . For southbound road users who have to use the Kurupukari Ferry, gates at Kurupukari will be open from 06:00h to 18:15h daily. For northbound road users, gates at Corkwood will be open from 04:30h to 16:30h daily. The southern gate is at the Corkwood Ranger Station, at the northern boundary of the Annai District, near the Surama Village junction.

Iwokrama, the GPF, and the Ministry of Public Works, through the MMC Group, manage the Iwokrama Road Corridor with the aim of improved safety for humans and wildlife, and reduced ecological impacts due to road use. Gated checkpoints are part of an overall management plan of the road. In addition to the construction of the Ranger Stations and gates themselves, other activities include routine Ranger patrols, advisory signs, and the distribution of leaflets to educate road users about the Iwokrama Forest and inform them of permissible activities within the Forest. Longer term plans include the establishment of roadside visitor facilities. Recent grants from WWF and the UK Department for International Development have assisted in funding of some of these efforts.

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.

Unregulated roads are 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, they also open access to previously isolated areas and it is essential to ensure that effective management systems are implemented to avoid potential negative consequences.