In the States, we talk about the rain forest like it was a mythical land, but where I’m from, it’s just part of the landscape. I suppose that’s how perspective works. Many dream of visiting a real live rain forest. Most of my family hasn’t been into “the bush” despite the relatively easy access. There’s snakes in there. I have always been tickled by the disparity. Recently, though, the difference in perspective hasn’t been that funny.
I read this articlein the New York Times over the weekend. It’s basically an editorial lauding Guyana’s president, Bharrat Jagdeo, for offering the rights to the countries rain forest to be bought for environmental research and conservation in exchange for foreign aid rather than logging it and depleting the forest. I happened to read this article right after watching a Discovery Channel special about foreign efforts to conserve Guyana’s rain forest which aired the week before. Yay. Good for us, saving the Earth and whatnot. One question… who’s saving Guyana?
While Jagdeo has been firmly blocking efforts to exploit the forests, poverty, corruption, and racism to ravished the country to the point that most of the people with resources move away as soon as they are able, never to return. In a country rich with natural resources, cheap labor, and basically decent, well-meaning citizens, you’d think we’d be able to do alright. Instead were fending off Brazil and Venezuela’s efforts to encroach on our borders while begging England (the slave master who formed the country as a work colony in the first place) for support. We have some of the world’s highest waterfalls, perfect for generating cheap hydroelectric power. We have rich soil, prime for farming diverse crops in a market in which foreign merchants would subsidize farmers just to ensure a steady supply of certain products. We have the whole west coast, which could be converted into beaches with affordable hotels to attract tourism, which would in turn create jobs for the many thousands of underemployed people who live there. Why, then, are the people of Guyana more inclined to flee than to stay and build? So many reasons. Nothing is ever simple. I am willing to say, however, that it is the essential function of to keep the peace so that its people have a system within which to prosper. This basic leadership and organization is lacking, so the people who would want to seize the opportunities to build up the nation don’t see the point in trying.
Now, back to the rain forest. I value the environment. I don’t want to see the forests destroyed. However, I see the way the country is being talked about like it’s all empty land to be divided up and assigned. It’s as if there aren’t people living there. The whole reason deforestation happens is the people to whom the land belongs need to support themselves. So, yes, let’s talk about conservation, but let’s not do it without keeping in mind that conserving the forest means removing a possible source of income from already impoverished people. If they are to sacrifice the revenue source so that the world can benefit, they need to come out better for it.
