Indigenous girls take active lead in implementing Guyana’s LCDS 2030

A PRIORITY focus of the Low Carbon Development Strategy ( LCDS ) 2030 is the leadership of women and girls in climate action

One such example is seen in action through veteran Environmentalist An - nette Arjoon - Martins , who is currently working in one of Guyana ’ s most pristine mangrove ecosystems located within the Barima Mora Passage

Mrs Arjoon-Martins explained that under the work programme implemented through the Guyana Marine Conservation Society (GMCS), several indigenous girls were given the opportunity to learn how to use drones as part of an innovative monitoring programme for mangroves in this area

She added that “the girls are part of providing a service to this valuable ecosystem, which essentially involves monitoring the natural resources of the Barima Mora Passage.”

The girls are not only monitoring the mangrove ecosystem, but they are also conducting applied marine research near shore

According to Mrs Martins, young women are a big part of contributing to several environmental actions that are aiding in the fight against climate change through innovation and technological applications Martins said that the girls are equipped with drones that allow them to explore the use of new technology in environmental management

Protected Areas Commission as part of implementing the Strategic Plan for the Protected Areas System

Mrs Martins continued by saying that “ We have been earning from our forest since the Norway Agreement in 2009, so this is not new for us, but the difference is that with the Hess cooperation [sic], it is a substantial amount of money , and we are able to have access to our own money from the carbon credits

It is encouraging to see that the resources from the carbon credits are fasttracked to the communities

By the end of the year, the girls anticipate that they will be gathering soil samples and mangrove litter to evaluate the carbon stored in the remote coastal environments that have previously been inaccessible to scientists

A total of 47,000 hectares (116,000 acres), including 14,000 hectares (35,000 acres ) of mangroves , are inspected by the girls every three months, using drones This work feeds into the implementation of LCDS 2030 , which builds on the national - scale Monitoring Reporting and Verification (MRV) system implemented by the Guyana Forestry Commission

This programme also provides valuable input to the work programme of the