Enviromental and forest policy

 

 

Location and history of Guyana

 

Guyana, the indigenous name of “Land of Many Waters” is enclosed by the Atlantic Ocean, Suriname, Brazil and Venezuela. The size of Guyana in km2 is close to the size of the UK of which it was a colony until 1965. It is the only country in Latin America with English as its main language. Until 1815 Guyana had been a colony of the Netherlands for a long period of time. The “Dutch period” can still be seen in the many Dutch names of villages and townships in Guyana. The processing plant of the partner company Guyana Mats & Timbers is located in the township of Soesdyke not far from the capital Georgetown.

 

Sustainable forest management

 

Guyana has earned a good name with regard to the sustainable forest management of its vast (mainly State) forests. This has been achieved thanks to the strict management and controlling mechanisms of the Guyana Forestry Commission, which government controlled entity is responsible for the execution and controls of the legislation and rules for sustainable forest management. Thanks to this and government policy Guyana still has a large amount of virgin forests. Contrary to many countries with tropical forests in fact Guyana is hardly confronted with deforestation (due to conversion for other use) and degradation of its forests. Guyana at this time is well known in the environmental arena for its sound policies (aimed to avoid the emission of CO2 but also to increase the CO2 absorption capacity) and is one of the “front fighters” in today’s world for the symbiosis between conservation of its tropical forests and modern sustainable forest management.          

 

Guyana Mats & Timbers (GMT)

 

Partner GMT in Guyana is one of the leading exporters in Guyana of finished/ added value timber products. The company is actively involved in the further enhancement of sustainable forest management in Guyana. This is done in combination with the economic and social development of indigenous and other communities. GMT only uses woods for its products that are verified by the Guyana Forestry Commission for legal source and sustainable forest management. The present law and regulations of Guyana with regard to the management of its forests are all based on modern sustainable forest management with harsh sanctions (also in practice) and are in many ways close to what the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has as it standards. Despite this there is a growing support to adapt to FSC standards as these standards are well known and accepted in the international timber market.

 

Environmental policy GTP Europe

 

GTP Europe shall at all times only buy and sell timber products of which the legal source is without doubt and of which the logs are harvested in forests that are managed in a sustainable manner with strict controls by government entities like in Guyana the Guyana Forestry Commission or other accepted private entities that audit and control such management. GTP Europe will support her partner company in Guyana in every way it can for its important role in Guyana in this field.      

 

Yours,

 

GTP Europe BV

A. Oude Hengel

Managing Director