Guyana is a country that is blessed with numerous natural resources. This includes our wild fauna and flora which some persons utilise in order to make a living by hunting, trapping, selling and exporting. To ensure the sustainability of the trade, the Guyana Wildlife Conservation and Management Commission is responsible for putting systems in place to manage the trade of wildlife in Guyana. 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). In Guyana, the GWCMC is the CITES Management Authority, and is therefore the organisation responsible for managing the wildlife trade here. 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.
To obtain the necessary licences for the international trade, the following steps must be done:
1. Submission of completed application forms for the licence being applied for.
2. Submission of the following documents:
o National Identification Card, Driver’s Licence, Passport or any other form of national identification
o If a registered business, a sealed certified copy of the Business Registration
o In the case of a company, sealed and certified copies of the following documents
1. Certificate of Incorporation
2. Articles of Association
3. Notice of Directors
o Copy of Transport or Rental or Lease Agreement for Holding Premises
3. Attendance of an interview. This step is applicable to all new applicants, and may also apply to some re-applicants.
Currently, a maximum of 25 persons are allowed to engage in the international trade. Additionally, 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.
Domestic Trade
There are six (6) categories of licences which apply to persons doing the trade locally:
• Wildlife Trapping Licence
• Wildlife Commercial Licence
• Wildlife Collecting Licence
• Wildlife Recreational Licence
• Captive Wildlife Licence
• Special Wildlife Licence
Indigenous Village Councils may also have to apply for a licence to cover wildlife users who are registered members of the village.
Each licence will specify the sizes, numbers and species of wildlife that a user’s activities cover, as well as where an individual is allowed to carry out these activities.
To obtain a licence for any category of wildlife use, applicants are required to submit the following:
1. An application form
2. National Identification Card or Passport (original and copy, back and front)
3. Two (2) recent passport-size photos
4. TIN Certificate (Original and Copy)
5. Firearm Licence (Original and Copy) for hunters only
6. Show proof of having adequate housing for trapped wildlife (for trappers and middlemen)
7. Food Handling Certificate (Restaurants, cook-shops, rum-shops/bars)
Applications are vetted by the Commission, and once approved, the applicant is required to pay the corresponding fee.
For more information on the wildlife trade, you can log on to wildlife.gov.gy/licensing-procedure.
