President of Conservation International (CI) Russell Mittermeier recently held talks with President Donald Ramotar about the country’s prospects to have some of its sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, the Govern-ment Information Agency (GINA) has reported.
According to GINA, Mittermeier, who met Ramotar just hours before attending the launch of the Conservation International Trust Fund on July 27, believes there is enough evidence to support Guyana’s case, while pointing to the capital Georgetown with its historical buildings and other examples of the material heritage.
Many of these sites have been commissioned with interpretative heritage markers erected by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport to create education and awareness about their importance and symbolism, GINA said. It added that up to May last year, 30 such markers had been erected near historic monuments, buildings and other sites.
Mittermeier also made reference to the magnificent Kaieteur Falls, the world’s largest single drop falls, the Kanuku Mountains, Shell Beach, Iwokrama and other ecosystem resources that are now within the ambit of protected areas, as he spoke of Guyana’s potential.
The passage of legislation last year paved the way for the Kanuku Mountains and Shell beach to be included on the list of protected areas and the launching of the CI Trust Fund seeks to supplement the long-term viability of these areas, GINA said. The fund will start off with a budget of US$8M and Mittermeier is hopeful that the allocation will shore-up to US$30M to sufficiently cover the cost of sustaining protected areas, it added.
