| Guyana’s protected areas system gets further boost from German Gov’t - with additional Euro 4.3 million |  |  |  |
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| Wednesday, 16 January 2013 23:35 |
THE local protected areas system received a significant boost yesterday with the exchange of notes to formally initiate a funding grant from the German Government to the Guyana Government via the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment.
 Natural Resources and Environment Minister, Robert Persaud and German Ambassador, Stefan Schluter with the signed financing agreement. Also in picture are: Deputy Commissioner, Denise Fraser, Commissioner Damian Fernandes and German Consul Ben ter Welle. (Adrian Narine photo) German Ambassador Stefan Schluter said that his country’s partnering with Guyana on environmental issues began in 1996, and since then, has continued to grow. “We are actually now celebrating the third phase of this on-going project which, so far, amounts to US$14 -15M. This is the latest phase which will have about Euros 5 million in aid. The ambassador said it is estimated that by the year 2020, up to US$100B will be spent on climate change efforts, internationally.  PAC Commissioner, Damian Fernandes displays the official logo of the commission. Ambassador Schluter said the German government has only had Regional projects in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Region. However, he said Guyana is the only country with which they have pursued discussions on international climate change, and that these projects have been ongoing for quite some time. During a press conference at the ministry’s boardroom yesterday, Natural Resources Minister, Robert Persaud disclosed that the ministry has benefited close to US$15 million from a financing agreement with the German Development Bank for the three phases of the Guyana Protected Areas System (GPAS). The GPAS is currently in the third phase and an additional Euro 4.3 million was given by the German government to support protected areas management and the conservation of important forested areas. Persaud highlighted that the PAC is the latest commission under the ministry and said that it is reflective of their commitment as it relates to initiatives taken on the issue of climate change, particularly in fulfilling the objectives of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). “We continue to expand and certainly pursue our commitments within the context of the Low Carbon Development Strategy and the direct support we have gotten from the German government has allowed us to make progress in this particular area that is, in developing the Guyana Protected Areas System,” he said. The minister advised that urban parks such as the National Parks Commission and the Zoological Park will all now be subsumed under the ambit of the PAC, as well as the Protected Areas Act. “With the Protected Areas Commission there would be renewed focus, in terms of making our urban parks and our protected areas much more dynamic, and to serve the purposes for which they are designed,” he stated. A press release from the ministry stated that the objectives of the project is that biodiversity in national protected areas and selected high biodiversity forests are conserved and communities in surrounding zones practise improved sustainable resource management within the framework of the LCDS and REDD+. According to Persaud, another element of the PAC involves supporting the various communities that are part of the Protected Areas System and to even reinforce some of the activities that people in those areas have been engaged in for their livelihoods. He also pointed to another aspect which is to strengthen the various agencies that are in charge of ensuring that there is compliance, such as the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, the Guyana Forestry Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency. He also related that although the PAC is currently working out of the old National Park Commission, they are in the process of constructing an office. Commissioner of the PAC, Damian Fernandes, advised that the commission, as of November last year, is now functioning with the umbrella mandate of urban parks as well as hinterland parks. He revealed that for this year, the PAC will be focusing primarily on an initiative to look at the three main parks in Georgetown and their rehabilitation, as well as developing a strategic plan for moving forward with the hinterland parks, such as Kaieteur, Shell Beach and the Kanuku Mountains. During the press conference yesterday, the official PAC logo was also launched which, according to Fernandes, was selected through a public competition. The winning entry was submitted by a German conservation organisation, Eerepami Regenwaldstiftung.
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