Georgetown: The importance of managing and conserving Guyana’s wildlife is at the forefront of Wildlife Management and Conservation Regulations (WMC) and is a key tool in Government’s effort to effectively regulate the sector, Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Robert Persaud underscored.
Accompanied by Head of the Wildlife Division Alona Sankar and Senior Environmental Officer of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Sean Mendonca, Minister Persaud said that the regulations which are comprehensive cover a vast array of areas with the sector.
The WMC is the result of several years of work with international partners and wide ranging consultations. “We wanted to ensure that the development of the regulations, reflected the views of the communities, particularly all those who may have concerns, and the wider Guyanese public, and then we were able to finalise the regulations with support of the United Nations Development Programme”.
Technical and Legal Experts conducted interviews with stakeholders and submitted a Report on the consensus positions reached by EPA and relevant stakeholder agencies on outstanding issues. The first draft was then prepared and circulated to relevant stakeholders (Government Agencies, NGOs, Wildlife Exporters, Trappers and Transport Associations, Community Development Officers and relevant Toshaos).The second draft of the Regulations was prepared based on the feedback from the said stakeholders. The revised Regulations were advertised in the local newspaper, requesting comments on the document from the general public. A second stakeholder consultation was held and a third draft was prepared and submitted.
In addition, the draft regulations were circulated to the members of the EPA Board for review. All comments were addressed by the Legal Expert and re-submitted for EPA’s approval.
The regulations were gazetted and tabled in the National Assembly, where it gained the full support of parliamentarians at a sitting of January 16.
The regulations and guidelines will enable the development of systems, including penalties and mechanisms for enforcement for the management of local wildlife according to Minister Persaud.
“As it is now, people would complain that it’s over hunting, overfishing, disrespect for spawning seasons for fish, giving other species time to procreate…sometimes if you travel along roadways in our hinterland, you would see containers upon containers of ice boxes and when you check these boxes they would contain wild-meat. So you had these unchecked and certainly disruptive practices that have been taking place for a number of years, it had gotten out of control”.
The regulations will address these issues, as well as the needs of those indigenous communities which traditionally utilise various wildlife species, he added. The regulations also deal with the export of wildlife and exotic plant trade, said Minister Persaud.
The rules will see those who engage in any aspect of the wildlife trade being subjected to licencing and certification requirements as it deals with domestic trade regulation, as well as broader wildlife management issues however, it does not make provisions for the regulation of international trade of wildlife.
However, a Wildlife Import and Export Bill is being considered to complement the Wildlife Management and Conservation Regulations. The Wildlife Import and Export Bill will provide a national framework and mechanism to govern the international trade of all species of Wildlife in Guyana.
An intensive public awareness campaign is planned to raise awareness of this issue which potentially impacts the lives of thousands of Guyanese.
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