The Environmental Risks Posed by the Oil and Gas Development and Its Potential Impacts on Mangrove Ecosystems and the Coastal Community’s Well-Being

Abstract

Guyana is an oil-producing country with oil and gas exploration and production operations approximately 190 km offshore. The coastal communities selected as the study areas in Region 1 and Region 2 are adjacent to the coast and 5 to 10 km inshore. In the event of oil spills, Shell Beach Protected Areas and the other selected communities will be negatively impacted, particularly the mangrove ecosystems and the community's well-being. The research aims to investigate the potential environmental risks posed by oil and gas exploration and production activities. It followed a qualitative approach and employed semi-structured interviews with the Toshaos of the coastal communities. The data analysis strategy was thematic analysis using the Nvivo software. The major themes included community assets, the importance of mangrove ecosystems, and the impacts of mangrove ecosystem damage through oil spills. Oil spill pollution will negatively impact mangrove ecosystems and the coastal community well-being in Region 1 and Region 2. The major results include damage to cultural artefacts, saltwater intrusion of major creeks, reduced fish catch levels, and agriculture products, which are the main economic activities in the selected communities. Consuming contaminated agriculture and marine products will lead to adverse health problems. Mangrove ecosystems provide considerable benefits to coastal community residents, including shields against river bank erosion, natural habitats for wildlife and How to cite this paper: Henry, C. A., Singh, T. B., & Oyedotun, T. D. T.