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And what will Guyana get in return? Not much, if the agreement with Barama | represents a precedent. Barama was granted a five-year tax holiday and will make only modest royalty payments. Within five years, this concession is expected to produce $20 million to $30 million annually for Guyana, but conservationists argue that this is a pittance for sacrificing nearly 10% of the country.
Russ Mittermeier, president of Conservation International, argues that Guyana should consider development alternatives that produce income while leaving the forests in place. He notes that the country might receive royalty income equivalent to what will be generated by the Barama concession should even one species of tree yield a chemical that turns into a successful pharmaceutical compound. Another option is an ecotourism business that would take visitors to Guyana's spectacular natural wonders, including Kaieteur Falls. Unfortunately, outsiders have come up with few other suggestions. Says a World Bank official: "It's incredibly frustrating to think that there are so few alternatives to logging at present."
Both Guyana and Suriname have a coterie of conservationists who are aware that the area possesses something special in this crowded world. Says Brigadier General Joe Singh, chief of staff of Guyana's army and an influential voice in his small nation: "There is a commitment here to make sure that Guyana does not repeat the mistakes of other countries." To see examples of these mistakes, President Jagan need only take another look at the forests of the Asian nations bidding for Guyana's and Suriname's timber. And this time he might ask why consortiums from nations that once contained some of the largest tropical rain forests on earth now must look for wood 11,000 miles from home.