New Domestic Licensing System launched to curtail abuse of wildlife

Government is taking steps to curtail the abuse of wildlife locally with the introduction of a Domestic Licensing System (DLS).
The DLS is a management system aimed at preserving wildlife through effective monitoring for commercial and non-commercial uses.
Under the new system, persons involved in the use of wildlife must be licensed in six categories; wildlife trapping, wildlife collection, commercial, recreational, captive wildlife, and special wildlife licences.
The new system was launched on June 1 by the Guyana Wildlife Conservation and Management Commission (GWCMC), as part of its fifth anniversary celebration.

Speaking at the launch, Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Minister Gail Teixeira lauded the initiative, noting that Guyana has come a long way in the protection of its wildlife.
Guyana has managed to monitor the exportation of wildlife internationally for many years; however, this is the first attempt to do so locally.
Minister Teixeira lamented the corrupt practices within the wildlife industry and called for similar penalties as those for narco and human trafficking. Under the DLS, perpetrators could be fined a maximum of $1 million for any violation within the wildlife industry.
“We must become more regulated in terms of the way we do business in Guyana. This is part of the rule of law, this is part of the governance of our society, and we have to learn that this is how life goes, and this is what you need to do in order to carry out certain activities,” she said.

“So, from a principled point of view, I think we have to do that and to make sure that we are constantly monitoring and looking at how it is evolving, and convince the people using the powers of persuasion before you do the enforcement.”
Recognising the importance of public support in the preservation of the country’s wildlife, Minister Teixeira acknowledged that the success of the DLS is dependent on a public-private partnership, and called for greater public awareness.
“If we do not preserve and protect and learn to have some kind of sustainable use of our resources, we could be facing a serious crisis… so we have to teach in simplified ways to our people and, therefore, the awareness programmes and the PR programmes are important.”
As part of the long-term strategy for biodiversity and socio-economic sustainability of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), Minister Teixeira highlighted that the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030 outlines the protection of wildlife.
“The Low Carbon Development Strategy offers an opportunity for the Wildlife Conservation and Management Commission—a greater level of prominence because it is an important component of what we’re talking about…it positions you as a commission in a different way than before… I believe the opportunities are here. And it is how creative and innovative we can be in order to use the Low Carbon Development Strategy, and the opportunities it offers to be able to fit the wildlife and conservation management commission into that strategy—into that programme.”
Meanwhile, GWCMC Commissioner Alona Sankar said effective monitoring of wildlife in Guyana has posed a number of challenges. Sankar believes that the DLS will give the Commission a better understanding of how wildlife is affected and the interventions needed.
“When we have that information, we can make informed decisions about the management of the species. It will help us also to set harvest quotas. We can say this is the level of offtake per year, and it would not impact our populations and we can also then look at the information we collect to determine harvest zones,” Sankar stated.
Persons are being encouraged to uplift applications from the Commission’s office located in the compound of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Applications will be opened online soon.
The GWCMC is responsible for the regulation of hunting, trapping, trading, protection, conservation, management and sustainable use of wildlife, harvesting, and transporting wildlife under the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act of 2016.