Guyana’s forest ecosystems and biodiversity are, in many ways, related to our culture, recreation, education and livelihoods. It’s who we are. We are the land of many waters. We are the Green Land of Guyana. We are nature.
What’s more, through our forests, we contribute an immeasurable service to the planet. Nature provides vital, irreplaceable services to Guyana and to the world. This is why investing in nature means investing in our future.
How do we do this? One of the ways we are caring for nature in Guyana is naming protected areas. Protected areas are areas that we set aside to be conserved. For example, if an area of land is a protected area, we cannot build on it or cut down its trees or dig for gold. Protected areas are a proven tool for securing nature’s generosity to people.
CI is helping Guyana pursue a ‘green’ model of development by working with indigenous communities, government and civil society to expand and strengthen the capacity of a National Protected Areas System. In this way, by caring for nature, we secure our future!
What
The establishment of an improved base of knowledge relating to local biodiversity, its status and trends, and the consequences of its loss which can be widely shared and acted on, including the expansion of the protected areas system to meet Guyana’s international commitments and national ambitions.
Why
Guyana’s National Protected Areas System (NPAS) is central to the development of a green state. This project helps Guyana to fulfill both national and international commitments, including Guyana’s Green State Development Strategy, the United Nations (UN) Convention on Biological Diversity and the Paris Climate Change Agreement. The UN Convention on Biological Diversity requires that, by 2020, Guyana set aside 17% of its terrestrial area for conservation. Guyana is further committed under the Paris Agreement to set as 2M hectares of terrestrial protected areas to contribute to the global carbon sink.
How
We’re working with partners and stakeholders to identify the gaps in the coverage of the current system to inform engagements on the expansion of the NPAS as well as supporting the Protected Areas Commission in expanding beyond its current projection of protected areas.
What we are doing
What will we achieve
- Conservation of the North Rupununi Wetlands.
- Increased knowledge of the ecosystem functions.
- Increased capacity of the Protected Areas Commission and Protected Areas Trust.
Our Partners
For this project, we’re working with:
- Protected Areas Commission
- Protected Areas Trust
- Indigenous Communities
- Civil Society