Safeguarding the coast: Guyana’s mangrove efforts bearing fruit
Guyana’s coastline is breathing a little easier due to the sustainable efforts in mangrove restoration championed by the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) government.
Hundreds of hectares of mangroves have been rehabilitated from 2020 to 2025, creating natural sea defences, protecting communities and supporting biodiversity.
Since 2020, the administration has expended a total of $952,895 million on protection and conservation efforts.
It is a green victory for climate resilience and coastal protection.
Guyana has an area of 214,970 square kilometres, and is divided into five main biophysical divisions: the Coastal Plain, the Savannahs, the Precambrian Lowland Region, the Southern Upland Region and the Pakaraima Highlands.
Mangroves are trees or shrubs that grow in tropical coastal swamps. They have many tangled roots that stick up above the ground and create thick areas of vegetation.
Mangrove management, along with the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), has been making strides and leading efforts since 2010 to sustainably manage, restore, and monitor these vital ecosystems, utilising a comprehensive system integrating Geographic Information System (GIS), remote sensing, field surveys, and community engagement.
Since 2020, 11 projects have been completed in Regions Two, Four and Five.
| No. | Site Name | Intervention | Date (Year) |
| 1 | Anna Regina (north of sluice) | 200m Geotextile Tube Groyne | 2020 |
| 2 | Beterverwagting | Rubble Mound Groyne | 2020 |
| 3 | Bonne Intention (LBI) | Rubble Mound Groyne | 2020 |
| 4 | Non Pariel | 100 Geotextile tube Groyne | 2021 |
| 5 | Perth/Eliza | Rubble Mound Groyne | 2022 |
| 6 | Paradise /Jib | Geotextile tube Groyne | 2023 |
| 7 | Dantzig | 300m Timber Breakwater | 2023 |
| 8 | Dantzig | 200m Timber Breakwater | 2024 |
| 9 | Aberdeen | 120m rock Groyne | 2024 |
| 10 | Colombia | 195m rock Groyne | 2025 |
| 11 | Reliance | 120m rock Groyne | 2025 |
Guyana’s mangrove restoration helps achieve several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially Goal Fourteen, which promotes the sustainable management of oceans and coasts.
It also aligns with SDGs- One (No Poverty), Two (Zero Hunger), Eight (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 13 (Climate Action), and 15 (Life on Land).
The mangrove restoration programme was launched in 2010 under the then PPP/C government.
Actions to increase protection/conservation
The mangrove management plan’s overall objective is to respond to climate change and mitigate its effects through the protection, rehabilitation and wise use of Guyana’s mangrove ecosystems through processes that maintain their protective function, values and biodiversity.