Guyana inks five-year MOU with German entity to receive protected areas support

Dec 08, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – Guyana on Monday signed a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) to continue its support of protecting and maintaining the Kanuku Mountains Protected Area.

FZS, a German organisation based in Frankfurt is an independent non-governmental organisation which has been working for decades worldwide to conserve biodiversity. FZS has been supporting the Protected Areas Commission here in Guyana in setting up the protected area system and managing the Kanuku Mountains Protected Area (KMPA) since 2014.

Yesterday, a new agreement was signed between Dr. Antje Mullner, Head of South America and Southeast Asia Department of FZS and Permanent Secretary of the Office of the President, Abena Moore to continue the works of FZS for the next five year. Speaking at the simple ceremony which was held at the Herdmanston Lodge in Georgetown, Dr. Mullner stated that one of FZS’s main guiding principles is a long-term approach and commitment to conservation, through strong partnerships with national and community-based institutions.

She noted that an important factor is the coordinated approach of several institutions and the relevant local stakeholders to tackle the threats to biodiversity. Both the problems as well as the possible solutions to the crisis are often complex. “We need all hands on deck to jointly work on that from multiple angles,” she said.

Aerial view of the Kanuku Mountains Protected Area. (Photo courtesy, Frankfurt Zoological Society)

Dr. Mullner also commended the Government on the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030, which has compiled so comprehensively the many aspects of low carbon development and has set very clear goals for the country particularly relating to biodiversity conservation and the expansion of the national protected areas system. She added that FZS is very much looking forward to supporting the Government in this area.

This new MOU, which covers a five-year period, will see the expansion of FZS’s cooperation in Guyana within the context of the LCDS 2030. It will allow the German entity to establish and operate a Country Office in Guyana, support the expansion of the National Protected Areas System (NPAS), continue its collaboration with the Protected Areas Commission (PAC) for strengthened management of the KMPA and the NPAS, foster indigenous community engagement and development, and support Guyana to advance participation in key global biodiversity and climate-related initiatives.

Present also at the ceremony was Robert Persaud, Chair of the Board of the PAC and Foreign Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who expressed that agreement is important in protecting and managing the country’s protected areas.

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Latest News