Biodiversity of Guyana

General information

Richness of the alive one

The wet forest of Guyana paradoxically opened out on one of the poorest grounds of the world, low in nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and organic matters. For this reason, and because this zone preserved always refuges for all its species at the time of the dry periods or terrestrial glaciation, this forest shelters single ecosystem S which are among richest and most fragile of the world; very old primary tropical forests, Mangrove S, savannas, Inselberg S and many types of wetlands.

The acidity of the grounds is also at the origin of this mediocrity of the Guianese grounds. It constrained the farmers to lime the fields, and led to the traditional mode of agriculture on denshering: ashes take part in the rise in the pH in addition to the rock salt contribution.

France of overseas is responsible for the protection of a very important ecological inheritance, of which that of Guyana which is exceptional on a world level. As example, are aujourdh' ui there located

- 5.500 plant species, including more than one thousand of trees,

- 700 species of birds, including an important fauna raptor (80% of the known raptors and still present in the overseas territories with the beginning of the year 2000).

- 177 species of mammals,

- 430 fish species

- 109 species of Amphibians.

The micro-organisms would be much more numerous still, in particular in the north which competes with the Brazilian Amazonia, Borneo and Sumatra.

This only French department shelters at least 98% of the vertebrate fauna and 96% of the vascular plants of the France.

Scientific research

Several permanent campings of CNRS and a base located at the stopping EDF of Small-jump allow the study of it, with ONCFS, INRA, CIRAD, IRD, ONF, WWF and of the international cooperations, but with budgets which have regard to the stakes remained very limited. The work conditions are difficult, average the techniques often artisanal (light material, training courses of ground for young impassioned but under-equipped scientists) the financings remain modest, allowing work only few tens of scientists, often temporarily via some permanent programs and of the complements in the form of sponsoring, of financing of theses, or studies financed by the obligatory studies of impact of the creation of stopping EDF small jump or the " transamazonienne" RN2.)

One usually discovers in Guyana of the unknown species of science, or which were still unknown in this part of South America.

As example, the guide ONF of recognition of the trees of Guyana makes it possible to identify approximately 200 species of them, but there are more than 1000 indexed, with great genetic differences between subspecies and populations, and one can find until nearly 300 different gasolines on only one hectare, that is to say much more than for all Europe. In the zones richest in biodiversity, a tree on two would have more than 700 years and except on zones of recolonisation by gasolines pionnières, in the field of view of an observer, the majority of the trees belong to different gasolines. Each tree accommodates to him even tens to hundreds of other species of plants épiphytes and invertebrates. The Canopée is of an extreme richness and shelters a very high biochemical activity.

Protection of the biodiversity

It should be noted, that with the African and Asian Equatorial forest, it is one of the rare places of the World where human civilizations autochtones do not seem to have caused the disappearance of animal species since 10 to 30.000 years. It is the area of France and Europe, and one of the areas of the world where the forest is split up by infrastructures.

Nevertheless, with the accesses of the cities and the roads and on the littorals (in particular in the west as well as the zone Hmong of Cocoa), nature undergoes the human pressure and the after-effects of a nonbearable development. People are installed thus on spaces " libres" and there their clearing without real control on behalf of the authorities installs. The administrations are generally satisfied to regularize illegal situations at the end of a few years while the official steps of land acquisition are very slow and constraining (one speaks for example about the extreme case of files deposited with beginning of the year 1970 who are about to lead in 2007 whereas the applicants already died).

As example, the reserve the Amana in Guyana and the Plage of Hattes are supposed to allow the protection of the most important site of laying of tortoises Luth the world, but in spite of the efforts of WWF and Xavier Desbois (preserving of the reserve) as well as local guards, the beaches undergoes a continuous poaching by sometimes armed individuals, whereas in the same time of many adult tortoises are caught in the drifting nets.

Moreover the personnel of the reserve his life risks; a guard was seriously wounded on the beach by poachers (a Luth tortoise would represent 2.000 €, that is to say 12 months of average wages for a surinamien).

In 2006,2 stimulating guards of Arataï association were killed by gold washers in the neighborhoods of the tourist camping of the Nouragues. This double murder because a great agitation in Guyana (demonstrations), but also in the whole of the international scientific community because of the proximity of the experimental station CNRS of Nouragues located not far. The latter had been attacked in 2004 by gold washers to fly of the plant equipment intended for the installation of a new system of study it forest. This station isolated in the middle of the forest which accommodates researchers of the whole world from now on is kept by guards engaged by CNRS.

Threats

Forestry development

The forestry development remained modest in Guyana. It is difficult there because of the lack of access (not of road, not of industrial port, not of important sawmills nor paper mills) and of the difficult climate, but the construction of a East-West transamazonienne which connects Cayenne to Saint-Georges of Oyapock made it possible to serve new solid masses.

The methods employed by the owners are not respectful forest with many levels, but the sector is not developed enough in Guyana to inflict a too important impact. The employees of ONF try to find solutions acceptable with the problem. The forest tracks which serve the main forests of the littoral for the forestry development in addition are often employed at other ends: gold washing, drives out…

The climate lends itself badly to the breeding or the cultures of Soja for which it is necessary of déforester as in the countries more for north and more to the south of Guyana. In a general way, industrial agriculture is unproductive on these very poor, acid grounds, sensitive to erosion. The attempts at plantation of trees pareillement showed failures. Research is however in hand to develop the culture of soya and corn in order to provide food to the animals (all is currently imported). The development of the cane with sugar to answer at the requests of biocarburants was also suggested. Only some vast Rizière S gains ground in the area of Mana, but is of less importance that to the Surinam.

The development of the road infrastructures

Compared to the metropolis, the highway network remains modest, but it extends regularly.
Sur 1.300 km of official roads, 397 are trunk roads, primarily located on the littoral tape. The Area and the State wished to improve the network of the island of Cayenne and the RN1 (littoral road) which serves Sinnamary, Iracoubo and the St. Lawrence of Maroni. New road (RN2) such a named East-West Transamazonienne or Transguyanaise included a Guianese section of approximately 80 km which connects Cayenne to Saint-Georges via Regina, and Venezuela in Brazil. Work started in 1995.

Even if they are attended than in Metropolitan France or in close Brazil, and than the phenomenon of Roadkill is reduced there, these roads are important factors of ecological Fragmentation and they return the forest more vulnerable to an exploitation and an anarchistic hunting. Except on the recent RN2, few ecological compensations exists, and when they exist, the écoduc S (here, conservation of a jointed Canopée) which are the crossing points almost obliged of many animal species to the top of the road trench are diverted by hunters which made a mortal trap of it. These écoducs is also called in question because they constitute ideal places for the steerings carried out by the clandestine ones. Their effectiveness is also criticized: the forestry development which takes place behind 50 m in fact of the small islands of forest joined with the road rather than of the zones of passage maintaining the unit of the forest. They in addition constitute a danger to the cars: the falls of tree and branch are a permanent risk. It is currently envisaged to remove them (2007).

Because of their very artificial character, few nonflying typically forest species cross the roads to Guyana. The RN1 thus ecologically separates the littoral zones from the central areas. Nevertheless, out of some main axes, the automobile traffic remains weak and its impact is generally considered to be negligible. Locally circulation can however be important: At the end of 1999, one counted 35.000 vehicles/day on the four ways of the Axe Balata-Maringoin of the island of Cayenne where 90% of flows between the north of the island and the remainder of the area circulate. The car fleet however strongly increased since this date (the congestions did not exist daily in Guyana in 1999).

Le development of the use of the quad S.A. recently made possible the access of the zones served by bad impracticable tracks by cars, in particular in rain season.

Discussions perdurent since several decades on the costs, disadvantages and advantages of a road opening-up of the communes of the river Maroni between Saint-Laurent-of-Maroni and Maripasoula, some fearing a development of various traffics (gold washing, wood, meat of bush and drives out illegal, animal species, biopiratage, etc which one saw in the adjoining countries that it was facilitated by the creation of roads, whereas traditional circulation on the river limited them up to now. In addition the roads built on a fragile ground are abused by the rains, which implies a maintenance very expensive and sometimes dangerous, the urgencies being able to be assured by the planes and helicopters, for an ecological Empreinte less, and without new attack with the ecological Intégrité of the forest.

The urban development

In the cities of the littoral various districts are côtoient often grouping the populations by ethnic origin and levels of richness.

The concreting, the artificialisation are much less important than for other territories overseas French. It in Guyana is limited to some coastal towns and of administrative or economic importance (Cayenne, Kourou…).
Très locally, a wild town planning, even frankly clandestine develops, previous occupant the local governments and national, related to clandestine immigrations, to some extent encouraged by the high level of life of the area and the increase in world rates of gold.

The urban development calls upon the material importation and food of metropolis, brought by plane for a great part, which strongly increases the ecological print of the cities such as Kourou or Cayenne.

Hunting

The regulation of hunting in Guyana is rather simple: there does not need or gun license hunting permit. There exist however 3 levels of protection for the animals:

completely protected species: kwata (spider monkey), saki-Satan, saki with face blade, large cabassou, ocelot, puma, jaguar (within the limit of the setting in danger of the populations), other cat-like, macaws and other parrots, black caiman, the marine…
species chassables but nonmarketable tortoises: lazy, caiman with glasses, red caiman, toucans, coal tortoise, baboun (monkey hurlor), macaque, etc
not protected species: peccary with white lip, peccary with collar, agouti, armadillo with nine bands, maïpouri, cabiai, paca, agami, hoco, maraï, iguana.

It is interesting to underline the case of the maïpouri (to tapir): this rather significant species which reproduces slowly is protected everywhere in France safe in Guyana (the only French zone where one finds some), and everywhere in safe South America in Guyana! Its statute of not protected species is likely to evolve/move soon.

Hunting and fishing in river constitute an essential share of flesh-colored food for certain isolated communities (Amerindian, clandestine bushinengue, gold washers, insolated villages like Saül). The populations concerned are fortunately very few and localized, but inflict by places a rather strong pressure on fauna. The regulations whereas are not seldom respected and remain not easily controllable.

Elsewhere and in addition for the cities, they are the fish fished in the rivers or brought back sea by a small flotilla of fishing, and the meat brought back by hunters " professionnels" who feed for a small portion the population via the restaurants and markets.

Along certain rivers, one finds in Ripisylve S of freezers in which hunters deposit game recently killed, which is recovered by dugouts which bring ice and carry this '' meat of bush '' downtown, with the risk to find some pathogenic there.
La hunting is regulated little and little controlled in Guyana, in particular on the level of the rates of mercury which could pose problem in carnivorous fish of river as will aïmara it (the fish of river are however not very present on the large markets of the littoral).

The breeding and pisciculture are solutions to lower the pressure of hunting. It is however difficult to set up them in the isolated zones where one needs it most. There already exists in an extensive way on the littoral but does not allow to answer the whole of the request and its development is limited by the importation of food for animals. The remainder comes from the imports of metropolis or Brazil (illegal). Attempts at development of pisciculture are also in hand. There exists also a programme of domestication of wild animal species (peccary).

Gold washing

Guyana, and the single tropical forest jewel in Europe which it shelters, undergo the consequences of the gold bearing exploitation (gold washing). And a question arises: the phenomenal Guianese biodiversity will it disappear?

This interrogation, certainly alarmist, is not without base if one looks at what is held in this French department. Thousands and thousands of clandestine, come mainly from disadvantaged regions of Brazil, exploit the basement rich in gold, with all the problems that involves: pollution, deforestation, insecurity… More: http://guyaneetorpaillage.over-blog.com/

The legal die, it, is also criticized. She seeks however to improve her image and her practices. “The impact which the legal activity has on the forest medium is tiny. That has nothing to do with the impact of the clandestine activity”, notices this official mining operator in French Guiana, the gold of shame (Calmann-Levy, September 2007). Not inevitably of the taste of the ecologists…

The State, overall, only reacts (very) mollement vis-a-vis the clandestine ones. After all, as long as the Space center of Kourou functions, which occurs in forest doesn't import him little?

The Orpaillage in Guyana often results in an even illegal anarchistic research of gold. It poses very serious problems of environmental pollution and food living conditions of the populations autochtones, thus sometimes that garimperos gold washers.

The mercury resulting from the Orpaillage (illegal or not) diffuses easily in the wet and acid environment where it takes a more toxic form very (methyl-mercury) bioassimilable.
Plusieurs studies of InVS and ONG showed that mercury contaminates with increasing amounts (of 1994 to 2005) the Amerindian populations Wayana for which the fish is the independent source of proteins. Since 2001 a collegial expertise coordinated by IRD was carried out starting from questions raised by the services of the State in Guyana (DDASS, DIREN, DRIRE and DSV). It drew up the assessment of knowledge on the presence, alarming, of mercury in Amazonia, on its effects on the environment and health. She proposes a certain number of operational recommendations of interest not only local, but regional.

Le mercury concentrates with amounts exceeding the thresholds acceptable in the sediments and fish. It contaminates the Food chain and concentrates in the trophic network

The ecological and social impacts of illegal gold washing touch the image of Guyana, but more or less most of the fish consumers in all the area. Several program scientists relating to the pollution of the rivers, the ecosystems and the populations by the mercury are in hand, including some since more than 10 years.

In 2002, the first operations of gendarmerie (known as operations anaconda) against the illegal gold washers made it possible to destroy camps of clandestine gold washing. For example, in October 2006, an operation carried out in partnership with the French gendarmerie and the federal police Brazilian allowed to destroy the pumps and materials directly related to gold washing on placing it " Sikini " located on a French affluent of Oyapock not far from Camopi at the free-Brazilian border. The village located with dimensions Brazilian was however not touched. In 2006, the principal great sites of clandestine gold washing seem to be weakened. The satellite imagery makes it possible to rather easily locate the sites of gold washing. But the small building sites, more discrete multiplied, and the borders remain manifestly permeable with the traffics and passages of all kinds. Since the appearance of the GPS and portable telephony, they are even more difficult to supervise, in particular night. The BRGM which in addition put on line on Internet the whole of its data resulting from the decades of prospection in Guyana makes it possible each one to know where to install its camp of gold washing.

The problem of gold washing is all the more complex as it implies buildings. The mayor of Camopi for example posed an ultimatum published in the newspaper France-Guyana: if the forces about do not drive out the clandestine gold washers of Guyana, he promised to launch out itself in gold washing so that the French citizens profit from it too. While following its advertisement of effects, it employs the Brazilian clandestine ones to exploit the gold of Camopi and thus became the first Amerindian-gold washer of Guyana.

During this time, studies prove that mercury is dangerous on 250 children all are infected close to Maroni and 206 children from 5 to 12 years present rather serious problems visual level.

Tourism

Tourism remained a long time little developed in the interior of Guyana. Several experiments of ecotourism and tourism which one could describe as scientist were made, with associations and CNRS in the reserve of the Nourague S.

Tourism, and more generally the human presence, had some negative impacts on the littoral (ex: destruction of mangroves to fight against the Papillonite and to release from the beaches, construction of seldom full hotels in addition, insecticide pulverizations for the demoustication, which kill predatory mosquitos as much as the latter.). These disadvantages fortunately rather specific and are limited.

Éco-tourism is often quoted by the general advice and the district council or the DIREN like a strong stake for the future of Guyana.

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