As the world’s fourth-largest offshore oil producer, Guyana is poised to transform its economy and generate billions of dollars for its largely impoverished population. However, experts fear that the lack of legal and regulatory frameworks, coupled with the country’s sharply divided politics and ethnic divisions, could lead Guyana down the path of neighboring Venezuela and create political and economic chaos. The government is currently engaged in infrastructure projects, including the construction of first deep-water port, highways, hospitals, and schools, to attract investments and transform the country’s consumption profile. However, such projects are creating limited jobs. The absence of technical training, coupled with highly specialized work to dig deep into the ocean floor, means it is rare for Guyanese to work directly in the oil industry.
While petroleum exports are expected to earn Guyana more than $1.6bn in 2023 and double GDP per capita from $6,000 to $12,000 over that period, many experts argue that the influx of wealth could challenge the country’s stability if not well managed. Moreover, Guyana’s politics is sharply divided along ethnic lines, leading to potential bickering over how the wealth should be spent. Much of the focus now lies in Guyana’s ability to manage its newfound oil wealth while addressing its social, infrastructure, and regulatory challenges effectively.
Meanwhile, a centuries-old tradition of speed-singing contests involving male finches is increasingly gaining popularity and becoming a profitable hobby and business for young and old residents of Guyana. These contests involve the birds being placed in cages next to each other as judges count the number of chirps they emit in a span of five minutes. While an average singer bird may go for $75, winners are sold for up to $10,000, making it a lucrative business. With growing interest in the bird races and sales of birds, reportedly fueled by the recent massive oil discovery off the coast of Guyana, demand for these finches has surged. The birds are smuggled inside a range of everyday items, such as hair curlers, toilet paper rolls, pantyhose, and special pants, to get them through airport security.
In recent years, rushing for the best singers has created an “unsustainable demand” for these finches, and according to a trafficking report by Traffic, local authorities “maintain a lenient acceptance of local bird markets”. While the premier chirp is the one that sounds like “pee-peeow”, caring for the birds is akin to training a professional athlete, involving playing recordings of other birds singing to ensure they are optimally trained to compete. Some of the birds are smuggled to places like New York, where the Guyanese diaspora also organizes races. The surge in demand has led to concerns over wildlife conservation, as the birds are said to be trapped almost to extinction in Guyana and Suriname. Meanwhile, the industry’s unsustainable growth has led smugglers to find new ways of transporting the birds, posing a threat to birdlife and prompting concerns from wildlife conservationists about the future of Guyana’s most unique bird populations.
As Guyana’s socio-economic landscape changes following recent oil production, the country needs to put in place legal and regulatory frameworks to manage its newfound oil wealth. Similarly, wildlife conservationists and international organizations need to help Guyana develop sustainable models for bird pet ownership and transportation, avoiding the anticipated surge in smuggling to come. Unless these issues are addressed, Guyana could be running the same risks as its neighboring Venezuela or remain unsustainable like the business of songbirds in the region.
