Govt working to expand national protected areas to 20%

Guyana is looking to increase its national protected areas from 8.4 per cent to at least 20 per cent of the country’s land mass, according to Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat.
“We can commit to that, and we are going to fulfil that commitment to ensure that we have at least 20 per cent of our landmass under protection,” he told the gathering at a Climate Town Hall Forum hosted by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) on Thursday.
Protected areas are clearly-defined geographical spaces – recognised, dedicated and managed through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values.
Guyana’s first protected area was the Kaieteur National Park (KNP) created in 1929. In 1996, the Iwokrama Rainforest Reserve was formally established and in 2011, the country passed the Protected Areas Act.
Shortly thereafter, two new protected areas, the Kanuku Mountains Protected Area (KMPA) and Shell Beach Protected Area (SBPA) were declared followed by the Kanashen Amerindian Protected Area (KAPA) and four urban parks – the Botanical Gardens, Zoological Park, National Park and Joe Vieira Park.

Guyana boasts 86-87 per cent forest coverage and has managed to retain low deforestation rates.
However, the Natural Resources Minister said: “Guyana is one of the best examples of countries to keep our emissions down, protect our forest, keep our biodiversity, we ensure that we expand our protected areas. That is quite remarkable for Guyana.”
The Government has pioneered the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) as a means of obtaining payments for protecting its forest cover.
With the effects of climate change affecting many industries, Bharrat pointed out that Guyana is at an advantage as many countries are facing issues with raising money to deal with adaptation to climate change.

“We’re below sea level and with the rising sea level, we are at risk so with our partners and our revenue coming in with the sale of carbon credits, we’re in a better position than many other countries to deal with mitigation and mostly adaptation,” he explained.
The Minister also alluded to other measures being taken to protect the environment, including the eradication of mercury in mining operations.
Amid claims of contradictions over the extraction of crude from the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana, while striving for environmental protection in other areas, the Minister said earnings from the petroleum sector will help to fund the transition to renewable energy sources.
“We are going to continue exploring our natural resources, because the only way we could achieve our commitment of transitioning to renewable energy is to ensure that we harness our revenue from natural resources… nobody is going to come and give us money to transition.”
Thursday’s event was hosted as part of World Press Freedom Day under the theme “Press for the Planet.”