In efforts to maintain and protect the ecosystem at Guyana’s Kunuku Mountains, an agreement between the Government through the Protected Areas Commission (PAC) and the Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) was signed on Wednesday.
Guyana is working on its Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030 project and ecosystem protection and maintenance is part of the LCDS. With this MoU signed at the Herdmanston Lodge Hotel in Georgetown, the Society will continue its effort to facilitate better and proper protection of the untouched ecosystem at the Kunuku Mountains for another five years.
With the planned expansions of Guyana’s protected area system part of the LCDS, the FZS will be continue its work in assisting with safeguarding these areas.
“We believe that for successful conservation, we really need this long term vision. This new Memorandum of Understanding sets the flame for SZF to expand its work and to intensify the collaboration with other governmental partners, and also to work with the other NGOs in the countries and with community based organizations,” Dr Antje Mullner, who is head of the South America and Southeast Department of the FZS, said.
The Chair of the Board of the Protected Areas Commission, Robert Persaud, who is also Guyana’s Foreign Secretary, said the partnership will help to build Guyana’s ability to properly manage the protected area system.
“It’s unique in a sense that we have an external partner working with us in a particular area – and that is the Kanuku Mountains. So we are looking at ways in which we can also build the entire protective area system in terms of capacity and ability to properly manage,” the Chair of the PAC Board said.
He said that Guyana has embarked on tremendous projects and will soon be known not only as an oil producing nation but also as a nation that that is committed to its environmental stewardship.
As such, he assured that the government is aware that partnerships with international partners is crucial for development, especially in all sectors.
In 2015, a similar MoU was signed between the Government of Guyana and the FZS. At the time the FZS was meant to support new protected areas commissioned by giving support on both strategic and organizational development of protected areas in the south of the country. The FZS provided technical advisors and funds to the PAC help to recruit and train Rangers for the KMP and established wildlife and sweats monitoring.
