The Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF) and Guyana Protected Areas Trust (PAT) on May 3, 2022, signed a Partnership Agreement. This Agreement, the 10th such for the CBF, will provide the PAT with additional resources to fulfil its legislative mandate of co-financing Guyana’s National Protected Areas System (NPAS), as articulated in the Protected Areas Act of 2011.
The Partnership Agreement formalizes the relationship between the PAT and CBF and further bolsters PAT’s ability to support the financing and management of Guyana’s protected areas. Under the Agreement, the CBF will manage and invest Endowment Funds for Guyana and make annual payments to the PAT to support its mandate.
During a simple signing ceremony in the Boardroom of the PAC, Chair of PAT’s Board of Trustees, Mr. Curtis Bernard noted that the work towards the partnership agreement started in February 2020. He further remarked that the agreement was timely and would provide well-needed resources for effective management of protected areas in Guyana. In congratulating the PAT, Chief Executive Officer of the CBF Mrs. Karen McDonald Gayle expressed immense pleasure that the discussions with the PAT have now culminated with the signing of this first 5-year agreement between the two entities.
The PAT is a body corporate established under the Protected Areas Act of 2011 and provides co-financing for the management of the Guyana’s National Protected Areas System, principally through the Protected Areas Commission (PAC). The National Protected Area System currently covers 8.5% of Guyana’s terrestrial space in five protected areas – Kanuku Mountains Protected Area (KMPA) in the Rupununi; Shell Beach Protected Area (SBPA) in the coastal north-west region; Kanashen Amerindian Protected Area (KAPA) in southern Guyana, a community-owned protected area and Guyana’s largest protected areas; Kaieteur National Park; Iwokrama Rain Forests; and four urban parks. PAT started operation in 2014 and has, since 2017, provided resources to support the management of the KMPA, SBPA, and KAPA. Learn more at https://protectedareastrust.org.gy/
The CBF is an umbrella fund with a flexible structure to implement innovative solutions for resource mobilization at the regional level through a range of financial instruments. Currently, the CBF manages about USD125 million through its Conservation Finance and the Climate Change: Ecosystem-based Adaptation Programs. The Conservation Finance program focuses on the conservation and effective management of biodiversity and natural resources and is mainly supported through the CBF Endowment Fund. Learn more at https://caribbeanbiodiversityfund.org/
CONTACT
For more information on the Partnership Agreement, please contact the Guyana Protected Areas Trust or the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund.
Guyana Protected Areas Trust
Call: (592) 227-0343 or (592) 227-0346
Email: secretariat@protectedareastrust.org.gy
Address: Jenman House, Botanical Gardens Georgetown Guyana
Caribbean Biodiversity Fund
Email: communications@caribbeanbiodiversityfund.org