THE Protected Areas Commission (PAC) says it is committed to improving the historically “strained “ relations between the management of the Kaieteur National Park (KNP) and the Region Eight village of Chenapau as the body works towards advancing relations and the conservation of the area to the benefit of local communities and all Guyanese.
According to the release from the PAC, the body said that the relations between the park’s management and the village “have been remarkably improved with more frequent meetings and collaboration”. It noted that as a result of the recent enforcement exercise which involved the military, it noted that the commission on June 2nd, 2017, conducted a meeting with members of the Chenapau Village Council to discuss the issue of illegal mining in the KNP.

The community has agreed to participate in a “ground-truthing exercise” with the PAC and other key stakeholders to identify key boundary points within the park. In addition, the commission said it would be coordinating a visit to the community to share the findings of the exercise and to discuss the way forward. While highlighting its commitment to work with the village, the PAC said it remains resolute in the fight against illegal activities in all National Protected Areas and would continue to work closely with the relevant agencies and partners to ensure that Guyana’s National Patrimony is left unimpaired for the enjoyment of present and future generations.

The PAC said that it recognizes that villages close to the KNP, such as Chenapau , depend on mining as one of its main sources of livelihood and has been working with the community over the years to provide additional opportunities for benefit sharing.
It noted that while there is much more work to be done in this regard, through protected areas funding and collaboration, there has been several areas of collaboration. These include the offer in which Chenapau residents are given first priority for employment as senior wardens, rangers, wardens, guesthouse attendants and other support staff. “Currently more than half of the staff is from Chenapau village”, the PAC said.

The commission noted too that G$20 million was provided to complete the Chenapau airstrip at the request of the community while a further $1M was provided for craft development in which 30 women were trained in needle and embroidery work and more than 20 men and women were trained in furniture and craft-making, using natural products.
The commission said too that the KNP worked closely with Chenapau and the village of Karisparu , also in Region Eight , to develop the draft Kaieteur National Park Management Plan. This process involved multiple meetings that were well attended by both villages who contributed substantially to the draft plan, the body said.

The PAC is mandated by law to “regulate activities and use of resources within each national protected area so as to leave it unimpaired for the enjoyment and use of future generations” as well as to “ensure that the law, regulations and rules are enforced appropriately within the Protected Area”.
It noted that it is upon that premise and further mandate of the PAC, that monitoring of activities in protected areas are conducted. It was noted too that over the years, several consultations and outreach activities at Menzies Landing and nearby communities were undertaken by the PAC with residents to discuss rules of the park. Explanations were given on what activities were allowed and prohibited in the park as well as discussions were held on potential areas for partnership and benefits to the communities, the body stated.

The commission also noted that warnings, site visits and reconnaissance missions were undertaken over the past several years regarding illegal mining within the boundaries of the KNP. The recent exercise resulted in a total of twenty six illegal mining dredges being seized in the Par; 23 in the Mure Mure and 3 in the Tukeit-Waratuk Area. GPS points of camps, mines and engines were recorded and verified to be located in the Park and Buffer Zone, the commission said. The body is in the process of analyzing all the data gathered and would be pursuing aggressively some of the recommendations provided as a result of this exercise.