THE Protected Areas Commission (PAC), on Friday, launched the National Park Zoning Plan to engage stakeholders to contribute towards the development of the National Park as a place that promotes family recreation, fitness, health, and wellness.

The consultation was part of Earth Day observances under the theme Planet vs. Plastics, where the work of the PAC was highlighted by the Commissioner of the PAC, Jason Fraser, while Chairman of the PAC Board of Directors and Foreign Secretary, Robert Persaud, outlined the government’s vision to develop green spaces and the need for a change in culture towards respecting the environment and facilities for use by all Guyanese.

Members of the public and partners of the PAC commented on the Commission’s vision to sustainably develop the National Park not only as a green space but also as a vibrant hub to build community and enhance well-being.
With Earth Day 2024 set for April 22, Persaud said that after Easter Monday celebrations at the National Park, approximately 700 garbage bags were used and filled with discarded trash, most of which he said was plastic.

“We thought that perhaps we would twin the observance right here, to give, as it were, a national emphasis of how it is that we should manage our plastic. And we’ve seen the rainy season would soon be upon us; hopefully it will bring an end to El Nino; but we will see how some citizens recklessly and irresponsibly dispose of their plastic items, but also generally their garbage,” he said.

Persaud added, “We do hope that this World Earth Day will again bring the spotlight and the need for us not to be polluters; not for us to be dumping our waste in all sorts of places and in all sorts of manner, contributing to health havoc, environmental damage, but also economic damage, because, when our waterways, when our drainage system is clogged and cannot function to its full capacity, it creates a strain on the economy, creates a strain on the country.

“It costs taxpayers, the same polluters, much more, because the government will have to find resources in terms of how does it repair, compensate [and] manage if there’s loss of livestock, crops, property damages and so forth.”
Moreover, he underscored the significant development in the last 10 years in the trade and import of plastic and waste to different countries.
Persaud charged Guyanese to be more responsible in how they manage and handle plastic waste so that Guyana can continue to be a model for the international community.