Rockstone is an Indigenous village in administrative region 10. It sits on the right bank of the great Essequibo River about 27 km west of Linden. The Village is famous for fishing and is named for its large rock formations.
Rockstone’s 316 residents are beneficiaries of G$ 15,000,000 from Guyana’s carbon credit revenues through the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030. They decided to pursue 7 projects for 2032 that would contribute to their overall development. The specific areas are shown below.
Rockstone’s projects are as follows: equipment procurement; village office renovation; cabin construction; crop and livestock production; waste management; culture revival/promotion; and skills development through education.
Rockstone spent G$ 2.5 million to purchase equipment to aid its council in performing various functions. These include a cement mixer, drone, camera, tripod, and projector. Moreover, the village plans to invest another G$ 2.5 million to transform its guesthouse into a new village office so that residents can receive better service from the Council.
The village has a visionary G$ 1 million agricultural plan. It intends to produce crops and rear livestock to boost its food security, in addition to providing planting materials to local farms at affordable prices. The revenue that will be generated from this venture would be reinjected into the village for additional developmental work. The farm site is under preparation.
To help develop Rockstone’s tourism development, 2 cabins will be built at an estimated cost of G$ 2.5 million while G$ 1 million will be spent to manage the village’s waste. The remaining funds are earmarked to fund activities being led by the Women’s group, such as art, craft, music, dance, language, leadership, and entrepreneurship.
“I have been following the LCDS for a long time. It is really a good thing for our community. It will benefit the women and youths a lot. The carbon credits have brought much-needed employment opportunities to Rockstone” – Mr Roudolph Wilson
“We barely had little funds before the LCDS, so we are very thankful for the carbon credit money. The money and projects will benefit everyone. The elderly will teach the youths everything about our culture. We also plan to buy freezers so that we can store our catch for sale. We will make and sell custard and ice so that villagers would not have to go till to Linden for these items.” - Ms Cynthia James, Chairperson, Women’s Group
Mr Flagan Carter is Rockstone’s Toshao. He welcomes the carbon credit programme and the G$15 million that his village received for 2023 to aid development. He described the money as being meaningful to his residents and a blessing. He noted that the village ensured that its funds were allocated to many different sectors and special attention was given to societal groups. Of note, Toshao said that the culture of the village was being westernised. This is one thing being addressed and arrested through the efforts of the Women’s Group under the LCDS. Despite some delays, the village is moving at pace to complete all its 7 projects for 2023
Rockstone is a major fishing destination. As such, many of the village’s carbon credit projects were designed to improve this tourism product. For instance, the cabins will provide accommodation for tourists; the waste management project will help to ensure that our sites are aesthetic; and the audio-visual equipment will help us to market our attractions. Toshao Carter welcomes all to Rockstone for exhilarating fishing adventures on top of the mighty Essequibo River.
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