Guiana Shield essential to survival of planet earth – Granger at Biodiversity conference

The Fourth International conference on biodiversity of the Guiana Shield was on Monday evening launched at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre and Chairman of the Guyana Society for Biodiversity, Dr Patrick Williams said an holistic approach is necessary for the sound management of ecosystems.

Biodiversity offers an opportunity for like minds to share ideas, noting that ecological systems transcend national boundaries.

He noted that as a region strength lies in the fact that the nations are endowed with vast resources and with proper use can be transformative to the lives and livelihood of the citizens.

For this to materialise Dr Williams said a common vision, shared knowledge and experiences and support technology are pivotal.

Meantime, President David Granger, delivering the feature address said the Guiana Shield is essential to the survival of planet earth.

The Head of State underscored the importance of the conference to projecting the necessity of the Shield to the continent, Caribbean and the rest of the world.

The role of investment was also highlighted by Granger.

According to the UNDP’s website, the Guiana Shield is an eco-region of regional and global significance. It covers an area of 270 million ha, which is made up of varied and various ecosystems that house keystone species of biodiversity, store globally significant amounts of carbon and water, and provide livelihoods for many human cultures.

All or parts of six countries namely in alphabetical order, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela, share the unique geographic area of the Guiana Shield.