Continuing our look at the Environmental Protection Agency, we turn our attention to it work in relation to biodiversity. Conserving and managing the use of our biodiversity is a major focus of the EPA. It is empowered to do so, under the Environmental Protection Act (1996). Another major responsibility of the EPA is to advance progress on national commitments under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), its Protocol on Biosafety and Protocol on Benefits Sharing and Access to Genetic Resources. The CBD is an international agreement to which Guyana has been a Party since 1994 and the EPA is the national focal point for the CBD and its two Protocols and is therefore required to lead the process to enable our country to meet its obligations under these agreements.

National Biodiversity Policies, Strategies and Action Plans
What exactly is it that the EPA does to conserve and manage the use of biodiversity? Efforts towards these goals is managed under the EPA’s Biodiversity Management Division (BMD) and range from recommending policies to identify, monitor and manage biological diversity to advising on strategies, plans and programmes to conserve and manage these resources. To accomplish these objectives, the Division engages in the design and implementing of projects to create National Biodiversity Policies, Strategies and Action Plans; National Biodiversity Regulations, and National Biodiversity Reports to the Convention.

Since its establishment in 1996, the EPA has led the process to develop National Biodiversity Action Plans (NBAP) I and II and recently, the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP). Similarly, the EPA has implemented the national component of a number of Regional Biodiversity Projects to develop the National Access to Genetic Resources and Benefits Sharing Policy and the Biosafety Policy.

The EPA was the driving force behind Guyana’s decision to accede to the two (2) supplementary Protocols of the CBD; the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits arising from their utilization.

Biodiversity Research
The EPA, through its BMD grants access to Guyana’s genetic resources through a research application system referred to as the National Biodiversity Research Information System (NBRIS). Essentially, researchers need to apply to the EPA through the NBRIS for a Biodiversity Research Permit. Applications are reviewed by the National Biodiversity Committee which may approve or not approve the application based on the information provided by the applicant. Researchers whose applications are approved are issued with a conditional Biodiversity Permit. Researchers are required to pay an application fee and a Permit fee when an application is approved.

National Protected Areas System
The EPA has been instrumental in the advancement of Guyana’s National Protected Areas System (NPAS), through the implementation of the Guyana Protected Areas Systems (GPAS) Project which was funded by the Government of Germany through the KfW Entwicklungsbank (German Development Bank). The EPA successfully coordinated and managed Phase I (2006-2011) and Phase II (2012-2015) of the Project, with a budget of EUR 2.56 M and EUR 5.0 M respectively. Throughout the Project, the Agency benefitted from invaluable support in project management and supervision from the GFA Consultancy Group, contracted by the donor.

The GPAS Project essentially, laid the groundwork for a protected areas system in Guyana. Community conservation livelihood sub-projects in and around protected and potential protected areas were supported under the Project to reduce reliance on biodiversity within these areas. The Project also aided the development of legislation for Protected Areas; Guyana has since passed and enacted its Protected Areas Act (2012). The Project also enabled the expansion of the national protected areas system since it supported the demarcation of boundaries, community consultations and management plans. As such, the government legally established Shell Beach and the Kanuku Mountains as two new Protected Areas, in 2012.

Another important contribution of the GPAS project was institutional and infrastructure development for protected areas management. Among infrastructure support was the construction and furnishing of the Protected Areas Commission and Wardens Buildings in Kaieteur National Park. Further, a Shell Beach Protected Area Management Plan was also supported which provides the current example for management plan for other protected areas.

The Protected Areas Act (2012), allowed for the establishment of a Protected Areas Commission with a mandate to establish and manage a National Protected Areas System. Under Phase II, EUR 4M was contributed towards the establishment of the now existing Protected Areas Trust Fund (PATF) to provide long term financing of the NPAS. Implementation of Phase III of the GPAS Project is now the responsibility of PAC, with a total budget of EUR 4.8M.

With the PAC now the Agency with the mandate for Protected Areas Management, the GPAS Project Implementation Unit of the BMD, is being transformed to a Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEA) Unit. The MEA Unit will oversee and guide national efforts towards meeting national obligations under international biodiversity related conventions, and in the development of projects funded by the Global Environmental Facility under these conventions.

Wildlife Management
Wildlife is also a focus of the BMD, particularly its sustainable use and conservation locally. As such, reports of issues related to wildlife use and treatment are investigated and addressed. Reports received by the EPA are generally related to illegal hunting, cruelty to wildlife and wildlife nuisance. Apart from wildlife complaints, education awareness activities are ongoing on protected species in Guyana. Support is also given to local conservation research and data analysis efforts. To strengthen its wildlife conservation efforts, the EPA collaborates with relevant agencies and organisations at the national and international levels in areas of research, information-sharing and the address of human-wildlife conflicts.

The nature of wildlife conservation effort at the EPA is often spontaneous, requiring an immediate response to complaints. In a recent case of trapped jaguars (Panthera onca) in Region 2, the EPA was required to make an immediate response to secure and relocate the animals. It is also usual for awareness on the handling and housing of wildlife to be done with urgency to address a specific wildlife issue. A current issue being addressed is cruelty to Iguanas; the EPA has guidelines on conditions under which these animals are to displayed for sale and has been conducting awareness in Region No. 4, 5 and 6 on these guidelines to advise iguana traders how to house and hold Iguanas while on sale.

Assessments are also done from time to time to determine how environmental conditions affect wildlife survival. Recently, an assessment was done in Region 9, on the effects of the dry season on the Arapaima (Arapaima gigas) based on which a plan of action was developed to increase survival during the dry seasons.

The EPA has been making steady progress on its responsibilities for conservation and sustainable use of our country’s biodiversity. As it continue its work it will keep to its core approach of participation and consultation since, our country’s biodiversity belongs to us all and as such it is our collective responsibility to do all that we can to ensure that it is used sustainably. .