Chinese Embassy donates drones to boost Indigenous mangrove monitoring

(Kaieteur News) – Representatives from the Indigenous communities of Imbotero and Smith Creek on Thursday received DJI Mavic drones and accessories from the Chinese Embassy in Georgetown to strengthen community-led mangrove monitoring in the Barima-Mora Passage, Guyana’s largest and most intact mangrove ecosystem.

According to a press release from the Chinese Embassy, the equipment will enhance the monitoring capabilities of Indigenous youth trained as drone pilots, enabling them to collect higher-quality photographic and video data to support conservation efforts.

The collaboration aims to strengthen local capacity for sustainable resource management and community-led conservation in the Barima-Mora Passage, a biodiverse coastal landscape in northwestern Guyana. The area is characterised by mangroves and estuaries and is home to Indigenous communities whose livelihoods and cultural heritage are closely connected to the natural environment.