Jagdeo calls for ‘sustainable’ re-opening of Wildlife trade

Some six months after President David Granger assented to the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act 2016, the commercial trading of wildlife is yet to begin, and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo is calling for efforts to be taken to change this.

In a statement from the Office of the Leader of the Opposition on Friday, Jagdeo

urged the Government to immediately attend to its administrative responsibilities to enable the re-opening of the wildlife trade, while simultaneously ensuring that this is done in a renewable and sustainable manner.

“We urge the Government to act expeditiously to facilitate resumption of the wildlife trade, while concurrently synchronising the creation of an environment of a smooth and efficient wildlife conservation and management framework, with the capacity for adequate enforcement,” the release outlined.

According to the Opposition Leader, the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act 2016, which was assented to by President David Granger on October 5, 2016, envisages the incorporation of the Guyana Wildlife Conservation and Management Commission and demands the establishment of the Wildlife Scientific Committee.

The statement further outlined that this Act was intended to satisfy international conventions pertaining to the import and export of wildlife, and provide a regulatory framework to bring Guyana into compliance with international standards and best

practices; not to bring the trade to a precipitous halt.

To this end, Jagdeo said in the statement, “As of today, Friday April 7, almost six months after the passage of this Legislation, there has been no notice or announcement of the re-opening of this commercial activity: This inaction has negatively affected the livelihood of exporters, trappers, many Amerindians in Guyana’s hinterland regions, and others engaged in this business.”

The Wildlife Conservation and Management Bill was passed six months ago, allowing Guyana to fulfil its requirements as a party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora (CITES), thus guaranteeing the protection of the nation’s flora and fauna.

The CITES membership process revolves around certain responsibilities, including having appropriate laws and regulations to curb illegal trade of wildlife, and to provide for the safe and regulated breeding, movement and trading of wildlife without and within state parties.

The lengthy Bill is divided into 85 parts. Its key objectives are to create a supportive mechanism cognisant of the national goals of wildlife protection, conservation management and sustainable use; and to create a national framework and mechanisms governing the local and international trade in all species of Guyana’s wildlife.

It will lead to the implementation of the primary provisions of the CITES convention, and also to provide a framework of licensing and decisions which support core principles of transparency, certainty, natural justice and fairness. The bill also makes provisions for captive breeding and wildlife-ranching.

One week after passage, President Granger announced that Government was looking to introduce a group of rangers to enforce the new laws aimed at curbing the illegal trade of wildlife. He noted that this corps of wardens will be placed in the hinterland regions to protect not only the mining areas, but forestry and the areas of wildlife and tourism.

Granger had outlined that, too often, there are sightings of persons on the streets of Guyana with a string of iguanas, or there are stories of people smuggling towa-towas in their curlers, or photographs of people going into protected areas with huge freezers or fridges, catching fishes that are quite rare.

President Granger elaborated that the Wildlife Bill is very critical, since there has been excessive smuggling and excessive endangerment of some species. He recalled years ago when someone actually exported dolphins.