Working Paper
GUYANA'S PARTICIPATION IN MULTILATERAL AND REGIONAL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS AND THE UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE (UNFCCC)
Nigel Durrant
Georgetown
Guyana
April 2002
"Guyana's National Development Strategy notes that, for several reasons, the country is especially vulnerable to environmental pressures. Among them are the fact that 75% of the country is covered by forest; many of the forest eco-systems are inherently fragile; 90% of the population lives on a narrow and densely settled coastal strip, which is below sea level at high tide and therefore continuously threatened by inundations from the Atlantic Ocean and the large rivers that traverse the country; the high dependence of the country on coastal agriculture and on forest wealth and minerals; and the fact that, as a poor country, the population finds it difficult to resist the temptation to over-exploit its natural resources and neglect to repair any damage that may occur as a result."
Excerpted from pages 16-17
You may access the full-length version of the paper by following the link below
http://www.odi.org.uk/iedg/participation_in_negotiations/guyana_climate_change.pdf
Link to the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) website: www.odi.org.uk
Link to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change website: www.unfccc.int