… despite forest-saving deal with NorwayGuyana has seen deforestation rates soar over the last year, despite the signing of an agreement with the Norwegian Government aimed precisely at supporting a reduction in deforestation rates, the UK organisation, Global Witness, said yesterday.Signed in November 2009, the agreement – worth US$250m over four years – was initially welcomed as a potential breakthrough, and a blueprint for other countries to follow, in supporting the preservation of forests.However, Global Witness notes, once the technical details were made public, initial optimism gave way to widespread concern since a particular clause in the agreement actually allowed deforestation rates in Guyana to increase, at Norway’s expense.According to the organisation, the offending clause assumed an existing annual baseline deforestation rate in Guyana of 0.45 per cent on an interim basis until a more accurate baseline could be determined.A recent report commissioned by the Guyana Forestry Commission, and carried out by New Zealand-based consultants, Pöyry Forest Industry, concluded that the actual deforestation rate over the period 1990-1999 was in fact only 0.02 per cent.As such, if the interim baseline is not adjusted under the terms of the agreement, deforestation in Guyana could increase twenty-fold and still remain within the agreed limits. Indeed, the report also confirmed that over the first year of the agreement the rate of actual deforestation in the country had trebled, reaching 0.06 per cent, Global Witness stated.“Over the past year, deforestation rates in Guyana have increased 300 per cent,” said Laura Furones of Global Witness.But she said that it’s too early to say if this increase is a direct result of the flawed data in the agreement, “but there is undoubtedly an incentive for Guyana to both profit from expanding forestry activities and simultaneously get paid by Norway to reduce deforestation.”Furones concluded that the Norwegian and Guyanese governments must adopt the precautionary principle to ensure that this is not the beginning of an upward trend that threatens local livelihoods and biodiversity.Uncertainties about actual levels of deforestation were acknowledged by the Norwegian and Guyanese governments soon after the deal was negotiated. At that time, both agreed to set a new reference level as close as possible to Guyana’s historical deforestation rate when further data was available.The Pöyry report confirms that the interim deforestation rate was unrealistically high, and the governments of Guyana and Norway must therefore set a new reference level when they meet in March. The new reference level must be based on accurate historical data and ensure compensation is only paid to the Government of Guyana if it takes positive steps to tackle the existing human pressures on Guyana’s forests, including logging and mining.“It’s in nobody’s interests to see Guyana’s forests disappear or Norwegian taxpayers’ money go to waste. Whilst we applaud the Norwegian Government for its leading role in efforts to preserve the world’s rainforests, it must recognise that if their agreement does not demand a deviation from business as usual, then this deal will undermine global efforts to protect forests and mitigate climate change,China Jerseys Wholesale,” said Furones.“Both governments must take the findings of this report seriously and renegotiate the agreement based on the reality on the ground. Only a dramatic reduction in the baseline rate will secure this and show that the Guyana-Norway agreement is succeeding in incentivising the protection of Guyana’s forests.”On November 24, 2009, Global Witness hosted an event in London where Guyana’s President Bharrat Jagdeo discussed the agreement. Representatives of the Norwegian government also intervened in the questions and answers session. When asked about Guyana having a right to increase deforestation under the agreement, President Jagdeo said “basically, yes […] for anything below 0.45 we get compensated, for the difference between the actual and 0.45.”
