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This Act provides for the establishment of the Protected Areas Commission, the Protected Areas Trust and a Trust Fund and empowers the Minister to declare national protected areas. It applies to the territorial sea, exclusive economic zone, fishery zone and continental shelf as defined in the Maritime Zones Act 2010. The Act alos provides with respect to the National Protected Areas System and allows village councils to apply to the Commission for village lands or any part thereof to be recognised as an Amerindian protected area. The Act also provides with respect to management of protected areas. The main objective of the Act is the conservation of biological diversity, natural landscapes, seascapes and wetlands and ecosystem preservation. The Act sets out principles of ecologically sustainable development.The national protected areas system consists of — (a) the Kaieteur National Park; (b) the Programme Site of the Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development; (c) national protected areas; (d) Amerindian protected areas approved under section 39; (e) Protected areas previously declared and urban parks including the Botanical Gardens and the Zoological Park; (f) privately managed protected areas recommended under section 26, and approved by the Minister. Objectives of the national protected areas system are defined. Amerindian protected areas shall be declared by the Minister on the request of the Commission and a village council. Protecting marine ecosystems and protecting freshwater ecosystems and important watersheds are mentioned as means to combat climate change.
Implemented by: Declaration of Kanashen Village as an Amerindian Protected Area. (2017)
Amends: National Parks Commission Act (Cap. 20:06). (1994)
