OUTGOING German Ambassador to Guyana Dr Lutz Hermann Gorgens on Friday paid a courtesy call on President David Granger and discussed the Protected Areas Project, which the German Development Bank, KWF, is funding.

The meeting was held at State House and the ambassador was accompanied by Honorary Consul of Germany to Guyana, Ben Ter Welle. During the brief discussions, the German ambassador informed President Granger that under the third phase of the project, a budget line is available to cater for income-generating projects for Amerindian communities that are in proximity to protected areas, the Ministry of the Presidency said in a statement on Friday.
The announcement by the German envoy comes in the wake of the arrests of 20 residents of Chenapau Village, Region Eight, for illegally mining within the Kaieteur National Park last Sunday.
Last September, the government inked a US$5M agreement with the German Government to support the implementation of the ongoing Protected Areas Project, which is in keeping with the objectives of the country’s ‘green state’ development agenda.