The German Development Bank (GDB) is funding a €4.8M project, titled ‘Guyana Protected Area System’, for the Protected Areas Commission (PAC).

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, met yesterday (Friday, February 8, 2019) with GDB’s visiting team.

Commissioner of the PAC, Denise Fraser, explained that the team will be travelling to the protected areas to have a first-hand look at what was taking place.

She noted that the project will cater primarily to infrastructural needs and will see new ranger stations, office space and even the construction of a guest house.

“There will be focus on the infrastructure needed for the management of three protected areas: – Shell Beach, the Kaieteur National Park and the Kanuku Mountains. That infrastructure will include ranger stations, administrative buildings and offices, and there will be some equipment for the management of the protected areas. In addition to ranger stations at Kaieteur, there will be a guest house which will make it more economical to fly there. The project also has two other components. One is resource management, which is linked to livelihood, and this is for the communities that surround the protected areas and the other component is for capacity building,” she said.

Minister Harmon expressed the government’s gratitude to the entity, noting that the project will significantly aid Guyana’s vision for a ‘green State’. He said that it further cements the commitment of the government to the preservation of the environment for this generation and generations to come.

“You have the gratitude of the Government of Guyana for what you’ve been doing for us and the work you’ve done here in the protected areas. We are committed to this and I believe that this commitment on the part of the government has been demonstrated over and over again, especially with the promise from President David Granger to put a further two million hectares into protected areas. We have embarked on an unmistakable path of conservation. That is the thrust of our development going forward,” the minister of state said.

Head of the Department of Environment, Ms. Ndibi Schwiers, echoed the sentiments shared by Minister Harmon, noting that the project forms a major part of the ‘green’ vision, and was critical to the achievement of a ‘green State’.

Meanwhile, Dr. Mackensen said his team was pleased with the commitment demonstrated by the Government of Guyana towards the protection of the environment, as that was the most important part of the Project. He noted that with the commitment demonstrated, there was no doubt that the project would be successful.

The team led by Dr. Jens Mackensen, Head of Division, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Latin America and the Caribbean, included Mr. Samuel Ebert, Chief Technical Adviser, Guyana Protected Area System; Mr. Tilman Jaeger, Consultant, and Ms. Ingrid Hahn, Project Manager, Agriculture and Natural Resources Management, Latin America and the Caribbean.