Dear Editor,
DID you know that capybaras are still found around the Eugene F Correia Airport (EFCA) and the excursion incident on April 14 was not an isolated case of them on the runway? How much of their natural habitat was destroyed for “development” in recent years. As concrete structures replace green spaces along the Heroes Highway stretching through Buzzbee Dam and eventually towards CJIA, forcing wildlife into urban areas and transit zones, we must critically evaluate our strategy for greenfield projects. Was any mechanism put in place by the government for relocation, or cohabitation? I think not.
Editor, we understand that Guyana is “developing”, the population is growing and industries are expanding. It is the normal progression of a country with managed resources. But as the saying goes, you don’t get something for nothing. So, who pays? The fauna that once lived in those ecosystems. Sustainable resource management requires that we account for this ecological cost.
Out of sight, out of mind? Recently, an anteater was sighted in the newly opened Guyana-China Friendship park. At the same park, on one of my morning commutes, I spotted an eagle perched on the stump of a tree that it once called home. The capybaras are at the airport. Just driving on the Ogle highway at sundown one can see flocks of parrots heading west. Talk to the farmers, or anyone living in those areas before the development, what have they spotted?
Those anecdotal observations add weight to the need for more robust studies. The government should commission wildlife biologists to conduct data driven population and baseline studies before it is too late. The results can inform collaborative planning and balance development with survival requirements of native wildlife. Let’s not preach habitat destruction as a worldwide problem and we do nothing to curb our own contributions to it; however small it may appear.
Mass relocation, while challenging, remains far better than localised eradication. Whether this is the right answer or not would depend on the outcome of the studies. Alternative progressive options should also be explored such as mandating biophilic designs that allow human infrastructure to coexist with non-disruptive species. Additionally, broad public education on safe animal handling may be the single biggest positive solution by mitigating fear driven conflicts.
Editor, at the very least, when government opens new areas for “development” due diligence must be done. The evidence suggests otherwise. Developers should no longer be allowed to clear plots indiscriminately without managing the wildlife that thrives there. At the very least, I strongly urge the Guyana Wildlife Conservation and Management Commission to immediately help with the capybaras at EFCA airport before someone starts killing them. Implementing an organised wildlife management and mitigation strategy now is vital before human-wildlife conflicts lead to destruction of these animals.