MINISTER of State, Joseph Harmon has clarified that the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) remains under the purview of the Ministry of Natural Resources and not his Ministry.A statement from the Ministry of the Presidency noted that on Tuesday evening, the Minister spoke to the media in relation to the agencies that are gazetted under his portfolio and said, “There are some duties missing, there should have been included the responsibility for environmental issues and agencies such as the Guyana Forestry Commission.”

However, according to the release, the Minister wishes to correct that statement and has informed that it is the National Parks Commission that was inadvertently omitted from the list of agencies that falls under the Department of Environment in the December 14, 2016 Extraordinary Gazette.

The Department of Environment, for which Minister Harmon holds responsibility, is tasked with overseeing the activities of environmental compliance and management, protected areas development and management, national parks management and wildlife conservation and protection. It is directly responsible for ensuring coordination of the work of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Protected Areas Commission, the National Parks Commission and the Wildlife Division.