A PUBLIC awareness drive on the critical importance of Guyana’s biodiversity for sustainable development is to be intensified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over the next few months.

The EPA which operates within the ambit of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MNR&E) made a commitment on this action in its fifth National Report on Biodiversity to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) covering the period 2011 to 2014, last month.
The EPA said that the public awareness drive and several other action programmes for the biodiversity conservation up to 2020 was in due recognition of the crucial importance of Guyana’s ecosystems for economic development.
The EPA cited such areas as agriculture, forestry and fisheries, payment for forest climate services, provisioning of fresh water and hydropower, poverty reduction and viability of community based economies, particularly in hinterland communities.
“Loss of biodiversity and any disruption in the provision of ecosystem services,” the EPA report said, “would impact negatively on the economy and more particularly on the quality of life in the hinterland and Amerindian communities.”
Guyana was among the 168 countries which signed the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) in June 1992 at the Rio Summit and subsequently ratified the Convention in August 1994.
Guyana has since prepared and submitted four national reports to the UNCBD for the periods 1994-1999, 2000-2003, 2004-2006 and 2007-2010.
This Fifth National Report (5NR) to the UNCBD covers the period 2011-2014 and describes actions taken by Guyana in conserving and sustainably managing its biodiversity.
The 5NR preparation followed the UNCBD guidelines for the preparation of NRs, the EPA disclosed.
The report also outlines a National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) for up to 2020 and documents the steps Guyana will take to attain the Aichi Biodiversity targets.
PUBLIC AWARENESS PLAN

The biodiversity public awareness plan includes expanding and improving, appreciation for biodiversity and ecosystems so that during the next five years “at the latest”, the majority of Guyanese if not all, will be aware of the values of biodiversity and the steps they can take to conserve and use it sustainably.
The EPA will continue to support and encourage schools environment clubs, Non- Government Organisations (NGOs) and Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) that carry out biodiversity-related initiatives and environmental education camps and to support journalists who report on environmental matters with awards in recognition of their work.
It will assist in restructuring and reorienting the Zoological Park’s representativeness of Guyana’s biodiversity to highly encourage visitors and enhance informal education through interactive and engaging experiences.
A weekly column in the newspapers on matters related to the environment. http://www.epaguyana.org/index.php/downloads/eitdpublications and a EPA quarterly newsletter Green Leaf which provides information related to the environment including biodiversity in Guyana will be sustained.
Organisation of seminars and interactive public meetings, public information programmes on television and radios, school quizzes and competitions, feature articles and news in the local newspapers, magazines and on the internet, film and documentaries, depictions at national events such as Mashramani (float parades), as well annual observances, large public events, have been and will continue to be used.
The EPA noted that awareness and use of Guyana’s biodiversity is expected to continue to increase as future developments in the eco-tourism sector have been identified in the 2014 National Budget, the National Competitiveness Strategy and the Ministry of Tourism Hinterland Tourism Development Plan which will focus on marketing Amerindian villages as adventure destinations for sports fishing and birding.
The EPA asserted that since ratifying the UNCBD and its last report, the fourth report, Guyana has taken significant steps toward meeting its obligations in ensuring conservation and protection of its natural resources and ensuring that Guyanese live in harmony with nature.
PROTECTED AREAS COMMISSION

Some achievements included establishment of the Protected Areas Commission (PAC) and two new protected areas, namely the Kanuku Mountain Protected Area and the Shell Beach Protected Area; efforts to create the National Protected Areas Trust Fund (NPATF) recently formed, development of a strategic plan for the PAC, development of a plan for the National Protected Areas System (NPAS), management plans for individual protected areas, and establishment of field presence in protected areas.
Institutional and governance arrangements were strengthened with the creation of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MNRE) in 2011 which has as its primary focus the harmonizing of policy and management in the natural resources-based sectors, and better mainstreaming of conservation and environmental management.
National policies were developed including the National Forest Policy, Policy Access to Genetic Resources and Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilisation and a National Bio-safety Framework.
National strategies were developed to assist in biodiversity management and protection, including the LCDS and Protected Areas Strategy.
National plans were developed including the National Forest Plan, National Protected Areas System Plan, National Land Use Plan, and the National Mangrove Management Action Plan.
Key pieces of legislation were enacted to conserve and protect biodiversity including the Wildlife Management and Conservation Regulations, Species Protection Regulations, Protected Areas Act, and the Forest Act.
The Wildlife Management and Conservation Regulations were gazetted in 2013 and the Wildlife Import and Export, Bio-safety and ABS legislations are currently being developed.
And in April 2014 Guyana acceded to the Nagoya Protocol on access to genetic resources and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from their utilisation.
The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) for up to 2020 set out the vision, the roles, duties and obligations of the country and its citizens and the actions to protect, conserve, use sustainably and share equitably the benefits arising from biodiversity.
This NBSAP up to 2020 includes a strategy for implementation, as well as agreed national targets.
The NBSAP examines synergies with national initiatives and, in particular, incorporates the objectives of Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) and the Aichi 2011-2020 targets, a ten-year framework for action by all countries and stakeholders to save biodiversity and enhance its benefits for people.
The NBSAP will seek to consolidate/harmonise policy and legal regulatory and administrative frameworks that support the sustainable use, protection and management of biodiversity resources, improve substantially biodiversity monitoring at the national level and within the key productive sectors and ensure sustainable use and value of biodiversity into key productive sectors used for growth, expansion and diversification of the economy.
It will improve the status of biodiversity by conserving ecosystems, species and genetic diversity and by restoring biodiversity and ecosystem services in degraded areas, improve national implementation, monitoring and reporting for Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and other bilateral commitments.
It will strengthen the information, knowledge base and capacity for conservation, management and sustainable use of biodiversity and improve national implementation, monitoring and reporting for Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and other bilateral commitments.
It will secure adequate resources by executing a resource mobilisation of both expertise and financial resources from national, regional and international sources such as the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for the implementation of the NBSAP to 2020.

(By Clifford Stanley)