**3.4 Effects of private land ownership on mangrove conservation and management**

It is well established in the literature that the participation of local community members in mangrove conservation projects is imperative for its sustainability. In order to understand how private land ownership affects mangrove conservation and management, a case study was conducted and the results are presented below. The main objective of the case study was to obtain the views of the households in the ways in which private land ownership, as one of the main types of land tenure systems, is likely to impact sustainable mangrove management. The study showed that significant areas of private lands are colonized by mangroves which extend from about 0.5 km

**41**

*Effects of Rural Land Tenure System on Mangroves Management in Corentyne, Guyana*

east of the main road to the reserve area or buffer zone near the sea shore. **Figure 5**

Land Owner Yes 5 26 1 32

Total 8 38 1 47

**Aware that Mangrove is a Protected Species Total**

**Yes No Not stated**

Not stated 1 2 0 3 No 1 7 0 8 Disputed land 1 3 0 4

Data collected on awareness of the status of mangroves as a legally protected forest showed that 80% of the households were unaware. Eighty-one percent of those who owned property had no knowledge that mangroves were protected by regulation (**Table 1**). This is a clear indication that there is a need for greater outreach focusing on education and awareness, particularly in areas where primary mangroves emerge. A recurrent issue raised was statutory jurisdiction over mangroves on private territory without consultation with the local communities. Most of the households were aware of the legitimacy of freehold tenureship and vehemently defended entitlement to their property. **Table 2** illustrates that land tenure arrangements varied in the villages. Sixty-eight percent of the households indicated that the plots were held by transported and title, while 13% did not state the nature of land holdings. Land ownership, in this study, appeared to be one of the key issues linked to

illustrates sections of the vegetation located at the rear of the house lots.

*Proximity of mangroves to household at No. 46 village. Courtesy of L. Johnson-Bhola.*

households' willingness to support the mangrove restoration project.

in most of the villages, would present difficulty for the mangrove protection.

Many of the households stated that there is a need to address land tenure issues, for they are likely to affect mangrove management. **Table 4** indicates that 80% of the households with married couples required compensation if the lands were to

Data showed that the households were willing to allow the growth of mangroves on their property. This variable is considered significant as natural regeneration seemed to be less costly, and it showed that the households were ready to contribute to mangrove management. Despite being willing, many households did not understand that the mangrove project is a national initiative intended to benefit vulnerable coastal communities. **Table 3** shows that the majority of the households in the villages for over 10 years were happy that the mangroves were on their property because the vegetation assisted in protecting the property from the sea. While there was less likelihood that conflicts would emerge over the use of unclaimed land for mangrove protection, it appeared that absentee land owners, as well as the communal arrangements that exist

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.89610*

**Figure 5.**

**Table 1.**

*Source: Questionnaire Survey.*

*Awareness of the legal status of mangroves.*

*Effects of Rural Land Tenure System on Mangroves Management in Corentyne, Guyana DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.89610*

#### **Figure 5.**

*Land Use Change and Sustainability*

**3.3 Land tenure issues and mangrove management**

In Guyana, land is owned under three distinct legal systems of tenureship: the public (state and government lands), Amerindians (Indigenous peoples), and private freehold/absolute grant arrangement. Interest, or what is commonly known as "ownership," is distributed as approximately 85, 14, and 1%, respectively [24, 25]. While the procedural requirements for leasing of state/public lands and allocation of Amerindian lands are relatively precise, private freehold arrangements and procedures are punctuated by ambiguity in the rules and regulations relative to a number of Acts and Statutes that set out the legislative and administrative frameworks for land management. The policies and regulations regarding private land owners' right to freehold property, which mangroves colonizes are not clear.

The ministerial proclamation was a response to the heightened level of vulnerability of the coast to sea level rise, threats to the protective and ecological functions of the vegetation, and associated issues. This proclamation has led to further hurdles prominently among which are overlapping and conflicting processes that do not represent best practices in tenure arrangements. It also resulted in a conflicting understanding, among policymakers and the local communities as well, of land ownership, and raised legitimate questions about the effectiveness of any mangrove management initiative, especially in those locations contiguous with the seashore. The tradition in some rural communities, including those where mangroves exist, is that individual property right is insecure and deemed by many owners as unnecessary; thus, a relatively large percentage of owners either do not register their property or keep their ownership rights updated. Effective and efficient mangrove management, therefore, requires a comprehensive set of legal and institutional reforms aimed at changing perceptions and understanding of the system at large, and attitudes toward property rights, enforcement, and the natural environment. It also requires a new set of procedures and written legal and institutional structures. As stated before, in order to manage mangroves, the Government of Guyana, in collaboration with the European Union, established in 2010 the Guyana Mangrove Restoration Project (GMRP) administered by the Ministry of Agriculture and implemented by the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI). Since the commencement of the project, a number of other entities also worked closely with NAREI to undertake mangrove management activities. These include the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), the Sea and River Defense Department of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI), Fisheries Department of the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC), National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) of the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs). The first four agencies cited have a more direct involvement in mangrove management. These agencies perform various functions, ranging from coordination and facilita-

tion of mangrove activities to sea defense infrastructure development.

**3.4 Effects of private land ownership on mangrove conservation** 

It is well established in the literature that the participation of local community members in mangrove conservation projects is imperative for its sustainability. In order to understand how private land ownership affects mangrove conservation and management, a case study was conducted and the results are presented below. The main objective of the case study was to obtain the views of the households in the ways in which private land ownership, as one of the main types of land tenure systems, is likely to impact sustainable mangrove management. The study showed that significant areas of private lands are colonized by mangroves which extend from about 0.5 km

**40**

**and management**

*Proximity of mangroves to household at No. 46 village. Courtesy of L. Johnson-Bhola.*


#### **Table 1.**

*Awareness of the legal status of mangroves.*

east of the main road to the reserve area or buffer zone near the sea shore. **Figure 5** illustrates sections of the vegetation located at the rear of the house lots.

Data collected on awareness of the status of mangroves as a legally protected forest showed that 80% of the households were unaware. Eighty-one percent of those who owned property had no knowledge that mangroves were protected by regulation (**Table 1**). This is a clear indication that there is a need for greater outreach focusing on education and awareness, particularly in areas where primary mangroves emerge.

A recurrent issue raised was statutory jurisdiction over mangroves on private territory without consultation with the local communities. Most of the households were aware of the legitimacy of freehold tenureship and vehemently defended entitlement to their property. **Table 2** illustrates that land tenure arrangements varied in the villages. Sixty-eight percent of the households indicated that the plots were held by transported and title, while 13% did not state the nature of land holdings. Land ownership, in this study, appeared to be one of the key issues linked to households' willingness to support the mangrove restoration project.

Data showed that the households were willing to allow the growth of mangroves on their property. This variable is considered significant as natural regeneration seemed to be less costly, and it showed that the households were ready to contribute to mangrove management. Despite being willing, many households did not understand that the mangrove project is a national initiative intended to benefit vulnerable coastal communities. **Table 3** shows that the majority of the households in the villages for over 10 years were happy that the mangroves were on their property because the vegetation assisted in protecting the property from the sea. While there was less likelihood that conflicts would emerge over the use of unclaimed land for mangrove protection, it appeared that absentee land owners, as well as the communal arrangements that exist in most of the villages, would present difficulty for the mangrove protection.

Many of the households stated that there is a need to address land tenure issues, for they are likely to affect mangrove management. **Table 4** indicates that 80% of the households with married couples required compensation if the lands were to
