On the 25th of January 2007 Drs. R. Zagt from Tropenbos International gave a lecture at the CEDLA on the potential ‘impacts’ of the further development of the connection road between Georgetown, the capital of Guyana, and Boa Vista, Brazil. The road through the Guyana should be a ‘portal’ to South America, from the Caribbean it cuts trough the rainforest and the savanna to Brazil. This road could be of international importance and form a bridge between the CARICOM (Caribbean trade organization) and the South America commerce (Mercosur)

For years Drs. R. Zagt has been active in the Guyana, investigating the biodiversity of the areas surrounding the road. Zagt is skeptic about the expectation of the further development of the road. “In some areas not even 25 cars a day pass by”. In his lecture Drs. R. Zagt explains the potential ecological, social, cultural and economic impact that can be expected.

Since 1912 the road has gradually been realized by influences from abroad. Guyana is a former British colony. The colonial occupants have constructed parts of the road and in the course of time different foreign investors have improved the road surrounding their enterprises. The road is the connection between Georgetown, in the North of Guyana and Boa Vista in Brazil. The road crosses varied landscapes, through the savanna in the South, the dens tropical rainforest op the Guyana Shield to the costal region at the Atlantic Ocean. Not only the landscape varies, the condition of the road displays has a strong variation. In some places the road has asphalt, in other places there is lath cane and other places are flooded.

The road ties different cultures together, from Shira to the WaiWai. There are Indian tribes in the rainforest to cowboys in the savanna. The communities in the inland of Guyana are afraid of the changes that will coincide with the improvement of the road. People in the inland have always had more ties with Brazil, and are dreading the fact that the road would open the inland to the Guyanese. Outsiders from Georgetown will come and lay claim on their land. To be banished and marginalized on their own land is the biggest fear of the communities.

In general deforestation is a concern. In Drs. Zagt opinion deforestation is a minor threat. Currently most timber along the road is collected by using a sustainable forestry method. This method carts usable timber, and trees are cut and transported in such a way that the damage caused to the surrounding forest is reduced to a minimum.

Uncontrolled access is a much bigger threat according to Drs. R. Zagt. Guyana and Surinam are one of the few countries left where flora and fauna can be exported without restrictions. Expectations are that the trade in flora and fauna will grow exponentially when the road is made more accessible. The biodiversity in these regions will suffer from this uncontrolled trade in plants and animals.

The negative impacts of mining and fire hazards will increase. Guyana is rich in mineral resources, the ground is filled with gold, diamonds, bauxite and other minerals. Outsiders have lain property claims on the entire country for future mining operations. Mining will start in these areas as soon as they become accessible. With the improvement of the road mining will increase which will have an impact on nature. It is to be expected that the amount of people crossing the inland will increase with the development of the road. Where there are people, there is an increased change of fire. Due to the climate changes the climate in Guyana is getting drier. The increase of people and drought will increase the potential fire hazards.

The development of the road will not only create potential impacts, practical problems will also arise. The number of traffic accidents will increase. In Guyana, a former English colony, people drive on the left side of the road while people in Brazil drive on the right side. This will lead to misunderstandings on the road. The traffic direction is not the only practical problem. Bridges collapse completely or partially very frequently. Maintenance deals have been made on the road, however the bridges are not included in these deals.

According to Drs. R. Zagt it is difficult to possible ‘impacts’ of the road, as it already exists. Improving the road will certainly bring changes, and will have positive and negative consequences. Research should therefore aim at foreseeing the possible negative influences and take them into consideration.

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