Guyana is a country that is blessed with numerous natural resources. This includes our wild fauna and flora, which many persons utilise for various reasons, including for economic gain. To ensure Guyanese continue to benefit from these gains for generations to come, there is a system in place to manage how, when, where, which, and by whom wildlife is utilised. This system is known as the Licensing and Permitting System. There are two aspects to the wildlife trade: international and domestic (local).
International Trade
Internationally, the trade of wildlife is governed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). As a signatory to the Convention, Guyana is obligated to have certain systems in place as it relates to managing the wildlife trade. As such, under the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act (2016), there is a system of permits and licences which are issued for the import, export, re-export or introduction from the sea of any specimen of wildlife.
In Guyana, the GWCMC is the CITES Management Authority and is therefore the organisation responsible for managing the wildlife trade here. To obtain the necessary licenses for the international trade the following steps must be taken:
Submission of completed application forms for the Licence being applied for.
Submission of the following documents:
National Identification Card, Driver Licence, Passport or any other form of national identification
If a registered business, a sealed certified copy of the Business Registration
In the case of a company, sealed and certified copies of the following documents
Certificate of Incorporation
Articles of Association
Notice of Directors
Copy of Transport or Rental or Lease Agreement for Holding Premises
Attendance of an interview. This step is applicable to all new applicants and may also apply to some re-applicants.
Currently, there is a cap of 25 persons who are allowed to engage in the international trade.
In addition to obtaining licenses to be involved in the import and export of wildlife, international traders are also required to obtain permits whenever they make a shipment. To manage the amount of wildlife that is traded, the GWCMC implements a quota system. There is a national quota which is the total number of a particular species that is allowed to be exported within a year while each exporter also has an individual quota which they must respect. Additionally, international traders must respect closed seasons during which particular species aren’t allowed to be traded and they are also prohibited from trading protected species and species that are listed in CITES Appendix I.
In the table below, the fees for the permits and licenses are outlined.
For more information on the licensing system, you can log on to: wildlife.gov.gy/licensing-procedure or contact the GWCMC on 223-0939/0940.
