– agreement signed for 5 million euros
THE Governments of Guyana and Germany have finalised an agreement to utilise five million euros, in funding for the further development of the Guyana Protected Areas System (GPAS).
This current commitment, for Phase Two of the project, will be disbursed in two tranches; one million euros will go towards the establishment of the Protected Areas Commission (PAC) and the remaining four millions for the Protected Areas Trust Fund. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, will function as the implementation agency for this phase, which is expected to last for a maximum of two years.
The announcement was made at a press conference yesterday, at the Office of the President, where Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Mr. Robert Persaud said the most recent agreement was a “significant development” that will serve to strengthen Guyana‘s position on issues of environmental protection and climate change in the international community.
“The support we are receiving will allow us to activate and realise the Protected Areas Commission. As you know, just before the close of the Ninth Parliament, the Protected Areas Bill was passed and it was subsequently assented to. Now we have the support of the German Government and the main aspect is the establishment of the Protected Areas Commission,” Minister Persaud explained,
Persaud said the additional resources will also allow for the implementation of institutional arrangements, which would ensure that those designated protested areas, including the Kaieteur National Park, the Kanuku Mountains and Shell Beach, are properly managed in a manner consistent with national and international obligations.
In this regard, he assured that the strengthening of the GPAS will not “impinge or reduce” the ability to utilise the country’s natural resources but provide greater capacity for proper utilisation, consistent with the sustainable development thrust.
“Whilst we have a very aggressive policy, in terms of the utilisation of natural resources, we also will insist this is done within a sustainable development framework and the passage of the Protected Areas Bill was yet another step to create the arrangement to pursue this path,” Persaud stated.

REMINDER
The minister extended gratitude, on behalf of the Government of Guyana and maintained that the project will serve as a reminder, to all, of the importance of the environment and the balance within the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), as it  relates to the utilisation of the resources and the protection of the environment.
As to the significance of the deal, the Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr. Ben J.H. ter Welle said the decision to lend further assistance was for two important reasons.
He said: “The policies of Germany and Guyana show a fantastic overlap, renewable energy, climate change, protecting biodiversity, the low carbon development strategy, we are natural partners. The other reason is that Guyana, in the past, was very reliable and predictable. What was agreed was done. The people of Guyana always did what was agreed.”
The diplomat also expressed confidence that, with the establishment of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the relationship between the two counties will be further strengthened.
In highlighting the genesis of GPAS, Executive Director, Dr. Inderjit Ramdass said the EPA has been working on the establishment of a system of protected areas and managed to secure aid from Germany, over the last five years.
Through that, a number of interventions, in various communities, have been executed, in terms of the preparation of legislation and other related matters, during Phase One of the scheme, he disclosed.
“We are now moving to Phase Two with the further donation from the German Government. I want to express our appreciation for this donation to continue our relationship and further protecting our natural resources,” Ramdass said.

EXPANDED
He revealed that Phase One was valued at 3.56 million euros and started in two pilot areas, Kanuku Mountains and Shell Beach but has expanded to other communities in the Mazaruni areas and implemented 46 projects in communities to deal with sustainable livelihoods.
Ramdass said this is the latest initiative in a long history of cooperation between Germany and Guyana, as the German Development Agency (GIZ) assisted Guyana with over US$7M during the period 1996 to 2000, through the Natural Resources Management Project.
This resulted in the introduction of the Geographical Information System to agencies such as the Guyana Forestry Commission, Lands and Surveys Commission and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), he reported.
Ramdass recalled that, in 2004, the two countries, again, signed an agreement for the implementation of a 2.56 million euros GPAS – Conservation of the Tropical Forests Project, referred to as GPAS Phase One and this ran from February 2006 to November 2011.
It supported sustainable livelihoods in over 30 Amerindian communities associated with Shell Beach, the Kanuku Mountains, Kaieteur National Park and the Upper Mazaruni and also led, as well, to the drafting of the National Protected Areas Act, delineation plans for both the Kanuku Mountains and Shell Beach protected areas and a draft Kanuku Mountains Management Plan.