The Protected Areas Commission (PAC) will today be hosting a Public Meeting on the Draft Management Plan for the Kanuku Mountains Protected Area (KMPA), located in Region 9, with support from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MNRE). The event will take place at the Protected Areas Commission, National Park, Thomas Lands, Georgetown.

The objectives of the Meeting are:
§ To present the Draft Management Plan for the Kanuku Mountains Protected Area.
§ To seek stakeholders’ feedback based on their review of the draft Management Plan.
§ To seek stakeholder inputs on the implementation of the Management Plan.

The KMPA was first proposed as a potential Protected Area in 1999 as part of establishing a Protected Area System for Guyana. The designation of Kanuku Mountains followed an extensive delineation and consultation process which began in 2007. Subsequently, with funding support from the Government of Germany, the Guyana Protected Areas System (GPAS) Project was established, with activities focused on building and supporting a Protected Areas System in Guyana. Following the enactment of the Protected Areas Act in 2011, the legal mechanism for the recognition and declaration of the KMPA as one of Guyana’s national protected areas was provided. The draft Management Plan outlines the principles and strategies for the 5-year development and management of the KMPA.

The KMPA falls within IUCN Category VI – Managed Resource Protected Area (MRPA), as are the other protected areas of the GPAS. A MRPA serves to address a combination of conservation goals and social, cultural, and economic goals of communities and resource users. Such a protected area is expected to be large enough to maintain viable populations of key species with significant portions of the area in a natural condition. It includes areas where stricter protection is mandated and zones where natural resources are managed and used in a sustainable manner.

The vision for the KMPA is that “The KMPA demonstrates sustainable resource utilisation while ensuring the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services. It promotes collaboration with stakeholders for management and decision making, generates benefits which improve human well-being, and serves as a model to the world.” The development of this Management Plan would not have been possible without the funding from the German Development Bank (KfW) and Conservation International, as well as the enthusiasm, participation, feedback, and support of communities and various national stakeholders.

Meanwhile, the document is still available for the public to review and make comments at www.nre.gov.gy; comments on the document can be submitted to pac.guyana@gmail.com or to the Protected Areas Commission by Tuesday, January 27, 2015. The Commission requests that comments be referenced by stating the page number and paragraph number before the comment.