The Protected Areas Commission (PAC) last Friday met with stakeholders on the first draft of its management plan for the Shell Beach Protected Area.
The Guyana Forestry Commission, the Amerindian Affairs Ministry, and the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard are among the stakeholders that attended the meeting on the plan, which aims to sustain the rich cultural heritage of the beach over a period of five years, a report from the Government Information Agency (GINA) said.
Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Robert Persaud told the meeting he was pleased that the commission had completed a draft of its management plan with a view to immediate implementation. He also said the residents of the identified areas and those who reside in locations that may be considered a protected area have high expectations of the commission. Persaud said the ministry has and will continue to engage stakeholders on developing similar plans, while ensuring that they are in keeping with the objectives of the PAC.
Persaud further noted that even as Guyana seeks to develop and utilise its natural resources, it is committed to having a viable, functioning and recognised protected area system. The minister said Guyana was one of the first countries to dedicate and invest mining revenue into a protected area trust fund. More than US$10m was obtained. “This again is a reaffirmation of our commitment in this regard to not only set up the commission… but also utilising the revenue and resources that we have been able to achieve and even from the natural resources sector and invest…that directly into the environment and initiatives such as these,” he said. Persaud further said that the nation needs to see “the entire system as belonging to us, and in a way that we have to respond and show support.”
Shell Beach, located in the North West in Region One, stretches over 120 kilometres of beach and mudflats. It was designated a protected area with the enactment of the Protected Areas Act 2011.
