Protected or conservation areas represent one
of the many conservation tools used to protect and maintain Guyana’s
biodiversity. Articles 2:25 and 2:36 of the 1980 Constitution of Guyana
provides for the protection of natural resources, which have been recognised as
important features of Guyana’s heritage.
In Guyana, there are three (3) legally protected areas, Kaieteur National Park, the Iwokrama Rainforest Preserve and the Community Owned Conservation Area at Konashen
which together accounts for approximately 4.93% of Guyana’s terrestrial
landmass. There are also other areas which are subject to some form of
management, these are: the Moraballi Forest Reserve, the Mabura Hill Reserve, and the Upper Essequibo
Conservation Concession.
Additionally, four (4) areas in the country have been proposed as protected areas inclusive of Shell Beach, the Kanuku Mountains, Orinduik Falls and Mount Roraima.
Over the last five years, the Government of Guyana (GoG) has
made significant achievements towards the establishment and effective
management of Protected Areas. With funding provided by the Government of Germany, through KfW, the GoG undertook the drafting of national protected area legislation, which will serve as the legal framework
for the establishment and management of a national system of protected areas in
Guyana.
Through its partnership with Germany, the GoG also provided approximately G$400M in small-grant support to over 30 indigenous communities around existing and
proposed protected areas, including Chenapau, Maruranau, Yupukari, Shulinab, Warapoka, Kwebana, Santa Rosa as well as communities in the Upper Mazaruni Area. The grants were used to enhance sustainable livelihoods in the communities, and thus promote community-based conservation in both
the protected areas and the associated landscapes and ecosystems.
The GoG also facilitated
extensive consultations with local communities and other national stakeholders
for 
the delineation of potential boundaries for two (2) of the proposed protected areas: Shell
Beach and Kanuku Mountains. These participatory initiatives resulted in
broad-based stakeholder endorsement of the suggested boundaries. A similar
process was undertaken for
the development of a draft Management Plan for the Kanuku Mountains, which
resulted in a plan that was shaped and endorsed by the 18 communities associated with the area.
Significant
investments were also made in upgrading the infrastructure at the Kaieteur
National Park. These infrastructural improvements will facilitate increased
visitation and visitor satisfaction, while contributing significantly to the
implementation of the soon to be completed Kaieteur Management Plan, which is
being prepared in collaboration with WWF-Guyana.
A draft management plan
has also been prepared for the Konashen Village Community-Owned Conservation
Area, which was declared a protected area under the Amerindian Act (2006). At
625,000 hectares, it is Guyana’s first community-owned protected area, and accounts
for 2.91% of the country’s landmass.
Further, recognising the need to build capacity for
the management of Protected Areas, the GoG supported Iwokrama in the training
of 107 persons in collaborative natural resources management, park rangering,
and tour guiding. The GoG continues to demonstrate its commitment to
establishing a National System of Protected Areas, with the enactment of National
Protected Areas legislation expected within the year, and the declaration of
new Protected Areas.
Image
Shell Beach - Mr. Rae Smith
Protected Areas
