Biodiversity of the Rewa Head B Zoological Society of London ...

While outwardly selective logging can appear to cause minimal environmental
degradation, un-detectable from fly-overs, the removal of large economic species will
alter the canopy structure and the reduction in leaf-fall from such key trees has been
shown by Villela et al (2006) in the eastern Brazilian forests to cause a reduction in
nutrient cycling. If poorly managed, skidding out logs can damage trees and saplings
and the compacted furrows caused by logging machinery can alter surface run-off,
leading to erosion. The construction of the roads and bridges as well as the skidding
trails will without doubt impact negatively on sensitive species such as bush dog
(Speothos venaticus) as well as ground nesting birds such as tinamous (Tinamidae).
The economic impact of SSI’s acquisition of the Upper Rewa-Essequibo concessions
should not be underestimated. The company has stated that it is pumping $45million
into this project and so one can expect that when logging begins, the returns are
significant. Under the terms of the agreement with the Guyanese government,
all timber extracted from the forests will not leave Guyana, but will be worked incountry,
allowing the nation to maximise the revenue from its forests. The villagers
of Annai and a workforce in Linden will benefit from the project through employment.
However, whether the governmental income from logging the concession exceeds
that of receiving payments from REDD to hold on to the concession intact has been
challenged by Rhett Butler (see Butler 2008) who reports that in fiscal terms the forests
could be worth more to Guyana standing.
Figure 38. In the dry season huge sandy beaches are exposed in the Lower Rewa, providing a nesting
ground for giant South American river turtles (Podocnemis expansa). The superabundance of eggs laid
in these sand banks is a boon which many forest species time their breeding cycle to coincide with.
30 Biodiversity of the Rewa Head