Guyana’s youth champion mangrove protection

Guyana’s youth have joined with officials to champion the cause for mangrove protection, as the world observes International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem.
On Friday, youth leaders participated in a National Youth Conference on Mangrove Conservation, hosted by Recover Guyana, in partnership with international maritime construction company, Jan De Nul.
The event held at the Ramada Princess Hotel, East Bank Demerara, brought together over 150 youth leaders, environmental advocates, policymakers, educators, and scientists from across Guyana.
The conference aims at highlighting the vital role of mangrove ecosystems in climate action, coastal protection, and community resilience.
It drew participation from a special expert panel which featured key international and regional voices on climate action and environmental sustainability.
In his opening remarks, Founder and President of Recover Guyana, Dr Dave Laltoo said the future of the environment and the power of youth to protect it has never been more vital.
He said this can only be achieved through knowledge, partnership and purposeful action.
“Through three national flagship projects, SHOUT, ENGAGE, and the National Water Purification Project, we have helped shape a new generation of environmental advocates. As we look to the future, Recover Guyana remains steadfast in the commitment to scale our impact. By 2030, we aim to save over 25 million plastic water bottles through our water purification project, directly reducing plastic pollution that too often ends up in our rivers, coastlines, and mangrove habitats. Train 1,000 youth through ENGAGE, building a new generation of climate-resilient entrepreneurs. And continue our nationwide efforts in capacity-building, environmental education, and community mobilisation,” he said.
These actions, Dr Laltoo said, are designed to build lasting systems of protection, as he noted that mangroves serve natural climate buffers against erosion, flooding, and biodiversity loss.
Speaking on the topic, “Eliminating plastic pollution to save our mangroves,” Guyana’s first Youth Environmental Speaker, Vasanna Persaud said single use plastic pollution has become so normalised that it is no longer questioned.
“Yet that one plastic bottle someone chooses to throw out their car window or leave on the seawall is more than just a revolting decoration, but the hands that are slowly suffocating our coastline,” she said.
Persaud encouraged the use of sustainable alternatives such as water- refilling stations– her winning initiative.
“In under a year of opening my project at my school Queens College, we saved 30,000 plastic water bottles from entering landfills and the environment. I believe that number today exceeds 70,000,” she shared.
Educator and Youth Leader Nicholas Sagadaya, who spoke on why mangroves matter to our future, explored vital roles they play in protecting coastlines as he challenged youth not just to see mangroves as an environmental topic but a developmental priority.
British High Commissioner to Guyana, Jane Miller, who also spoke at the conference, referred to mangroves as the “superheroes” of the forests.
“We know that biodiversity is being depleted around the world, we know that mangroves are also being depleted. The UK has a number of initiatives that we are implementing around the world to prevent mangrove loss, including Guyana,” she said.
International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem is being observed under the theme, “Protecting Wetlands for our Future”.