PAC inks MoUs with THAG, GMCS to advance conservation efforts, capacity building

The Protected Areas Commission (PAC) on Monday signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the Tourism and Hospitality Authority of Guyana (THAG) and the Guyana Marine Conservation Society (GMCS) as part of their continued plans to boost capacity building, monitor conservation and build sustainable centres of economic growth.
PAC Commissioner Jason Fraser signed the MoUs alongside THAG’s President, Dee George, and GMCS Chairman, Dr Marie Correia at Botanical Gardens Bandstand, Georgetown.

The MoU signed with GMCS, Fraser noted, is a continuation of work the two organisations already engage in—turtle management at the Shell Beach Protected Area, conservation and sustainable use of resources, and community engagement.
“The MoU between PAC and GMCS is essentially just formalising that arrangement and highlighting areas that we would like to work with the GMCS on, especially now that we are developing our new management plan for that space,” Fraser said.
“[This] would include continued support in areas of turtle management…we have erosion on our beaches so monitoring exactly what’s going on there, but also working with them in the Barima-Mora Passage, to be more specific, on community engagement and community development projects,” Fraser said.
GMCS’s Dr Correia reiterated the Society’s support towards the PAC in the implementation of their strategic plan and livelihood initiatives.
She also clarified the Society’s efforts to maintain the Barima-Mora Passage, the country’s most intact mangrove ecosystem found in Region One (Barima-Waini).
“The GMCS has been working arduously over the past few years within the Barima Mora Passage to conserve this amazing ecosystem. We do this by utilising a multifaceted approach which provides both skills training and employment opportunities to local communities in the area,” Correia said.
“This allows for sustainable development and sustainable use of our natural resources for this ecosystem,” she added.

Improving lives
On the other hand, the MoU between PAC and THAG looks at the “improving lives” aspect of their work, according to Fraser.
“We’re looking at building centres of economic development, without foregoing but actually leveraging our natural beauty and resources to develop tourism products and improve hospitality – maybe even provide some capacity building for communities that would like to use their space for eco-tourism, and that’s in the protected areas,” Fraser said.

“In the urban space, it’s to improve coastal tourism through our green urban spaces, so more specifically – at least, for now – the National Park and the Botanical Gardens,” Fraser said.
Fraser added this involves developing tourism products to enhance the natural ambiance of what he referred to as Old Georgetown, located beyond the roundabout within the Gardens and towards Sheriff Street.
“[The Botanical Gardens] is a very unique space. It’s 87 acres in the middle of Georgetown and so we want to make the best out of this space. And the same goes for the National Park,” Fraser said.
THAG’s George extended appreciation towards the PAC for their partnership and noted THAG’s intention to maintain and enhance the western one-third of the Botanical Gardens. (G13)