Edition of the Guide to Recognising the Trees of Guyana

In line with its leitmotif of sharing knowledge about nature with as many people as possible in order to protect it, the Biotope Business Foundation for Biodiversity chose to give financial support to the project “Edition of the Guide to Recognising the Trees of Guyana” led by the National Forestry Office (Territorial Department of Guyana).  In fact, starting from the following observations:

• The only existing guide to botanic recognition of Guyana’s forest plants dates back to 15 years ago and only includes about sixty species, whereas today, no less than 1,600 species are found in Guyana’s territory;  ;
• Popular knowledge of the trees is rapidly being lost in Guyana, and more especially in the coastal strip, with the disappearance of traditional uses and the know-how linked to those, particularly due to increasing urbanisation, high population growth, and the modernisation of techniques;
• The trees have a major ecological role (climate regulation, a predominant role in the food requirements of wildlife, both land animals and birds, association with a huge diversity of insects, etc.)

The National Forestry Office wanted to create a tool to improve our knowledge of the trees. That guide will indeed enhance all the research available in botany and ecology and about the customs. It will devote one part to new themes such as evolution and  phylogeny, the habitats and the diversity of the trees in Guyana, the timber industry in Guyana, the uses of the trees in Guyana, or the conservation of the species. It will additionally enable all the Guyanese people to acquire cultural and traditional knowledge about those plants.