From Exploration to Discovery – Researching Nature in Guyana

http://exploreguyana.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/exploration-article.jpg
Uncategorized

Introduction

ExxonMobil Guyana as part of its commitment to environmental stewardship initiated a series of studies in 2017 and 2018 to research important avian and marine life in Guyana. ExxonMobil Guyana commissioned the global sustainability firm Environmental Resources Management (ERM) and Guyanese biodiversity experts from Environmental Management Consultants (EMC), Ground Structures Engineering Consultants (GSEC) and Leon Moore Consulting to conduct bird, marine and sea turtle studies offshore and along the coast. The team also conducted an ecosystem services study, which documented the many ways in which coastal ecosystems support local human populations – the first study of its kind to be conducted coast-wide in Guyana.

Birds

Three marine bird surveys were conducted by teams of international and Guyanese bird specialists aboard offshore vessels. Historical data on marine birds in the region documented a total of 29 marine bird species in Guyana. The surveys yielded six new records for Guyana (species not documented as having been observed in the country previously, based on available data), increasing the number of marine bird species known to occur in Guyana by 21% – from 29 to 35 species. The new records registered for Guyana include Bridled Tern (Onychoprion anaethetus), Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophrys), Red-billed Tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus), Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus), Bulwer’s Petrel (Bulweria bulwerii), and Band-rumped Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma castro).

exploration-article-2During coastal bird surveys, over 220 species were observed, with the highest bird abundance and diversity found in Region one, within and around the Shell Beach Protected Area. These results confirmed the conclusions of the Shell Beach Management Plan, which identifies the Shell Beach Protected Area as a regionally important bird habitat and a resource affording the opportunity to develop ecotourism-based livelihoods in Region one. All of the coastal bird species documented during the 2017 and 2018 surveys have been previously recorded in Guyana, although this survey documented many species in the coastal region where they had not been officially recorded previously.

Sea Turtles

ERM and local Guyanese specialists from EMC teamed with The Ocean Foundation (specifically the Sea Turtle Census Initiative program) and members of the Chelonian Research Institute, known for its decades’ long research on sea turtles of Guyana, to conduct a Turtle Telemetry Study in the Shell Beach Protected Area. Four green turtles and three leatherback turtles were tagged with telemetry devices in March and June 2018, in order to assess their inter-nesting habitats, including understanding of distances and water depths at which the turtles travel, as well as their dive/surfacing profile while off the coast of Guyana. The data produced from the study has shown that at least some turtles remain in Guyana’s coastal waters for several weeks during the nesting season, and provide insights into how the turtles’ preferred nesting locations have shifted along the coast over time. This data is vital to the management of these iconic species and ensuring that they continue to be a part of Guyana’s coastal ecology for decades to come.

Coastal Communities

exploration-article-3The ecosystem services study documented several sites of social and cultural importance (e.g., beaches, shell mounds, historic buildings, and sites that are considered historically and culturally significant) along the coast, in addition to an extensive study of mangrove habitats and coastal biodiversity. The study also documented where local people use native materials (e.g., palm, local hardwoods) to produce handicrafts and household goods and found a nascent ecotourism industry that is currently developing in some coastal communities around immersion in natural landscapes and indigenous culture. Data from the study could help identify potential opportunities for ecotourism-based activities such as sport fishing, bird watching, and turtle and river dolphin tours in remote communities where employment and economic development opportunities have traditionally been limited.