The Ministry of Natural Resources has announced that plans are in train to build a $28M Protected Areas Commission Head Office at Thomas Lands by year-end.
According to a press release, the building at Thomas Lands, which currently houses the National Parks Commission (NPC) will be upgraded and extended to accommodate the head office. Under the Protected Areas Act 2011, the NPC will eventually cease to be an independent entity and instead its functions will be absorbed by the PAC.
Contracts for the construction and supervision of works for the head office were signed yesterday between the EPA and Satar Mohamed and Son Construction and Hardware Supplies and Innovative Engineering Consultancy Services, respectively. Germany’s involvement through the Guyana Protected Areas System Project started in 2004 with Phase I.
The head office is being built under Phase II of the Guyana Protected Areas System (GPAS) Project funded by the German Government through the German Development Bank. The project is being implemented by the EPA, under the purview of the natural resources ministry. The EPA is being assisted with the implementation of the GPAS Project by the GFA Consulting Group.
A US$6.2M Agreement for Phase III of the project was recently signed between the governments of Germany and Guyana. Implementation of this phase will start next year.
According to the report, the PAC was established after the enactment of the Protected Areas Act in 2011.
