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Ecolab Conference to French Guyana
(30 November - 2 December 2004)
 

Impression of the ECOLAB Conference by Mrs. Agnes Dalrymple, Guyana Sea Defences


Team at the airport of French Guyana
 

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The Conference Building in Cayenne


 

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Two presentations were given during the conference! By Mr. Phillip DaSilva (University of Guyana) and by Mrs. Agnes Dalrymple (Guyana Sea Defences).

Also a poster had been prepared and was presented by the team during the Conference.
 


 
An impression of the coast of French Guyana.
  The acronym ECOLAB stands for Écosystèmes Côitiers Amazoniens with the English translation of Coastal Amazonian Ecosystems. The Sea and River Defence Division was part of the 7th congress held in Cayenne from 30th November to 2nd December 2004.

The team comprised three engineers namely Alain Lee, Rabin Chandarpal and Agnes Dalrymple from Guyana Sea Defences, and Frank Wiersma (Royal Haskoning). Also Phillip DaSilva from the University of Guyana was a participant of the Ecolab Conference.

ECOLAB is a research programme based on partnerships between scientific institutions working on the coastal region West of the Amazon River, that are dominated by it’s sediments. The Amazon river, first in the world in terms of fresh water and sediment volumes brought to the ocean, impacts ecologically and sociologically on thousands of miles of littoral (from Venezuela to Brazil).

The network includes scientists from Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname, Venezuela and Surinam. The mission of the network is to guarantee the exchange of knowledge and experience between Amazonian institutions and use common tools in the study of the interaction of the mangrove ecosystems, coastal morphology and great seas.

A wide range topics were presented based on research by scientists, MSc and PHD students: health of mangrove vegetation, use of satellite imagery, moving mud banks, measurements along the coast. These generated interesting discussions and will result in further research. Of significant interest was the 500 year history of the Amazon Coast through maps.

The congress provided a good opportunity for the development of partnerships with our neighbours in the Guianas and for us to share, learn, understand and benefit from ongoing projects in the region.

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Mangrove seedlings growing along the coast.
 
The team: Frank, Agnes, Rabin,
Phillip and Alain.
 

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 		 .
Good-bye Conference.
  Initially, we were mere observers and were privileged to show case our works under the present ICB project. As the only team from Guyana, we were welcomed and our presentation garnered a lot of interest.

The characteristics of sediments carried to the coast by the Amazon River define the erosion and sedimentation on the coast, the presence of more salty or sweet water in the mangroves, directly influencing the life of the communities in the region.

Guyana being part and parcel of the larger Guianas, experience similar coastal processes as that of French Guiana and Suriname. The way forward is for us to play an active role in the ECOLAB network so that the Guyana Sea Defences can further benefit from exchange of knowledge in relevant coastal topics through research project, funding, training programmes, etc.

A follow up on the 2006 Congress which is scheduled to take place in Brazil will be ideal for the results of this training programme to be presented. Management of our sea defences in a more pro-active way can be assured and realized within such a network. A good working knowledge and understanding the physical processes are key indicators to our success in confronting the challenges ahead of us.

On the final day of our visit, the team made a field trip along part of the coast of French Guyana. A number of interesting things were observed, such as: re-growth of very young mangrove trees on muddy foreshore in combination with attractive sandy beaches with palm trees, the fact that most of the population lives further inland along the main road along the coast.

Special thanks go out to the EU for funding the entire trip, for the Government of Guyana of making it possible to temporarily release us from our daily assignments and Frank, who did the ground work in making the trip successfull.