Agreements signed to further promote safety of eco-systems at tourist sites

The Protected Areas Commission (PAC) on Monday signed two Memoranda of Understanding with stakeholders to further protect Guyana’s eco-systems at tourist sites across the country.

The agreements between the Protected Areas Commission (PAC), the Guyana Marine Conservation Society (GMCS) and the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) are important because many tourists visit Guyana for the pristine natural attractions and eco-systems.

These areas must be maintained and the risk of the natural state being jeopardised by infrastructure must be avoided.

The GMCS MoU will focus on developing a partnership to support PAC in the implementation of its strategic plan in areas of mangrove and marine ecosystems; the MoU with THAG will seek to promote sustainable tourism development in Guyana’s protected areas by fostering professionalism and ensuring quality service.

According to Guyana’s Foreign Secretary and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the PAC, Robert Persaud, by partnering with stakeholders that work to achieve the country’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), it can expand the protected areas system beyond the 18 per cent of landmass that is protected by the PAC.

Therefore, more stakeholders will be working to maintain the ecosystems at tourist sites and communities. The low carbon development strategy is a commitment by Guyana to preserve the forest which traps harmful greenhouse gas emissions amid the country’s development.

“We have a very aggressive programme in terms of engaging communities and engaging stakeholders but we also want to utilise organisations and entities such as this to help us to expand that type of engagement so that we can all be able to continue to tell the story of Guyana being champion.

“[And] how it is that we can achieve this balance of developing our natural resources bringing about prosperity but at the same time be able to honour and to be a leader in managing our environment and our resources,” Persaud said.

Meanwhile, THAG’s role in preserving the country’s natural resources is to combine efforts to ensure that tourist attractions under its membership are cognizant of the LCDS goal.

According to THAG’s President Omodelle George, through this memorandum, the association will work along with the PAC to ensure that areas such as the botanical gardens, the national park and destinations that encompass natural attractions are safe for the wildlife that live there.

“Our visitors love to go to see the manatee, very often they want to know what is that and we sit at a very fortunate place where we can showcase our animals in a very safe environment and for them to enjoy all that they provide within those ponds.

“There is no questioning why this signing should happen. It will merely continue to foster the already existing relationship,” the THAG president said.

In ensuring these environments are safe for wildlife and visitors do not interfere with their natural habitat, the PAC and the Guyana Marine Conservation Society have collaborated on several projects, including sustaining the country’s largest intact mangrove forests called the Barima Mora Passage.

Dr Marie Correia from the Marine Conservation Society noted that the entity works along with communities by providing skills training and eventually employment for the residents living in these areas.

“The GMCS has been working assiduously over the past few years to conserve within the Barima Mora Passage, this amazing ecosystem and we do this through a multifaceted programme which provides both skills training and employment opportunities to local communities in the area and this allows for sustainable development and sustainable use of our natural resources,” Dr Correia said.

Monitoring of sites, beaches and other areas will be maintained under the memoranda to promote sustainable tourism products.