Guyana will be joining the rest of the world over the weekend in observing World Environmental Day 2016 under the theme “Go Wild for Life”, which focuses on the illegal trade in wildlife, promotes zero tolerance of this practice, and calls on everyone to accept a role in protecting endangered and threatened species.
Wildlife trafficking is a multibillion-dollar criminal enterprise and the practice has shifted from a conservation concern for many countries to an acute security threat. The increasing involvement of organised crime in poaching and wildlife trafficking promotes corruption, threatens the peace and security of fragile regions, strengthens illicit trade routes, destabilises economies and communities that depend on wildlife for their livelihoods. According to the World Wildlife Fund, Wildlife crime is a big business. Run by dangerous international networks, wildlife and animal parts are trafficked much like illegal drugs and arms.
By its very nature, it is almost impossible to obtain reliable figures for the value of illegal wildlife trade. Experts at TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, estimate that it runs into hundreds of millions of dollars. Some examples of illegal wildlife trade are well known, such as poaching of elephants for ivory and tigers for their skins and bones
In Guyana, Government has taken to the National Assembly a Wildlife Conservation and Management Authority Bill, which aims at having effective conservation and management of the country’s wildlife. This Bill, which was in the making under the previous administration was tabled in Parliament on May 10, 2016 and first read in May 12, 2016. Its current status is its position on the Order Paper of Parliament.
However commendable, this is not the first piece of legislation Guyana is putting in place to protect our endangered species and wildlife. The Wildlife Import and Export Bill, which was tabled in the National Assembly on June 19, 2014 was sent to the Select Committee for fine-tuning.
The objective of the Bill is to create a national framework and mechanisms to govern the international trade of all wildlife species in Guyana; create a supportive mechanism for wildlife conservation and management; avoid measures which can be taken against Guyana; and to provide a framework of licensing and decisions which support core principles of transparency, natural justice and fairness.
The Bill also provides for the establishment of a Wildlife Import and Export Authority, which will be tasked with the management of the international trade of wildlife in Guyana. This body will be critical in the implementation of this legislation as well as in addressing the challenges faced by the sector.
This Bill seeks to repeal the Species Protection Regulations and establish the Wildlife Import and Export Authority to replace the Wildlife Division.
These regulations make provisions for among other things, penalising the harvesting of prohibited species of wildlife, exporting, re-exporting or importing wildlife without permits and the use of prohibited devices and methods to hunt wildlife. Penalties for offenders range from G$30,000 to G$750,000 along with prison time.
For the observances to mark this day in 2016, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is urging people and governments everywhere to overcome indifference, combat greed and act to preserve the natural heritage for the benefit of this and future generations.
The United Nations last month, at the second United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi, launched a UN “Wild for Life” global campaign. The campaign asks everyone to pledge to end the illegal trade in wildlife, from ordinary citizens, who can ensure they do not buy prohibited products, to governments, who can pursue change though implementing effective policies to protect species and ecosystems.
Angola, which is this year’s World Environment Day global host, has served notice that it will no longer tolerate the sale of illegal wildlife products, and is strengthening legislation and increasing border controls as part of efforts to restore elephant populations that were devastated by the country’s civil war. Such action sends a strong message that wild species of plants and animals are a precious commodity that must be sustainably managed and protected from illegal trade.
But even as the world seeks to preserve wildlife predominately endangered species, the skin of Guyana’s national animal, a vanishing animal, is sprawled on the wall of Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan’s office. It is urged that in observing World Environmental Day, the minster take this inappropriate decor off his wall as it is not only disrespectful to Guyanese but sends a negative message to the rest of the world on Guyana’s position to truly commit to such an important cause.
