Amid numerous cases of the smuggling of Guyana’s wildlife, some of which have been prohibited, government is considering tabling a wildlife import and export bill, which it hopes will provide a national framework and mechanism to govern the international trade of all species of wildlife in Guyana.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Robert Persaud in a recent interview with the National Communications Network (NCN) said an intensive public awareness campaign is planned to raise awareness of the issue which potentially impacts the lives of thousands of Guyanese. Several Guyanese had been cited in the past for exporting some of the country’s wildlife.
Meanwhile, Persaud said the Management and Conservation Regulations (WMC) is a key tool in government’s effort to effectively regulate the sector.
Technical and legal experts conducted interviews with stakeholders and submitted a report on the consensus positions reached by EPA and relevant stakeholder agencies on outstanding issues. The first draft was then prepared and circulated to relevant stakeholders (government agencies, NGOs, wildlife exporters, trappers and transport associations, community development officers and relevant toshaos).
Feedback
The second draft of the regulations was prepared based on feedback from the said stakeholders.
The revised regulations were advertised in local newspaper, requesting comments on the document from the general public. A second stakeholder consultation was held and a third draft was prepared and submitted.
In addition, the draft regulations were circulated to the members of the EPA board for review. All comments were addressed by the legal expert and re-submitted for EPA’s approval. The regulations were gazetted and tabled in Parliament, where it gained the full support of the House at the January 16 sitting.
The regulations and guidelines will enable the development of systems, including penalties and mechanisms for enforcement for the management of local wildlife, Minister Persaud said.
“As it is now, people would complain that it’s over hunting, over fishing, disrespect for spawning seasons for fish, giving other species time to procreate… sometimes if you travel along roadways in our hinterland, you would see containers upon containers of ice boxes and when you check these boxes they would contain wild meat. So you had these unchecked and certainly disruptive practices that have been taking place for a number of years; it had gotten out of control.”
Indigenous communities
The regulations will address these issues, as well as the needs of those indigenous communities which traditionally utilise various wildlife species, he added. The regulations also deal with the export of wildlife and exotic plant trade, said Minister Persaud.
The rules will see those who engage in any aspect of the wildlife trade being subjected to licensing and certification requirements as it deals with domestic trade regulation, as well as broader wildlife management issues; however, it does not make provisions for the regulation of international trade of wildlife.
