jaguars, ocelots, tapirs and several Konashen, an Amerindian village in

species of monkeys. Iwokrama the south of the country, is Guyana’s

officially became a protected area in first Community Owned Conservation
1996 and is used collectively as a Area. It is home to the Wai Wai tribe
wilderness preserve and for the and several endangered species
sustainable use of resources. including the blue poison frog and the
emerald boa. It was requested to be
The National
Kanuku Mountains made a protected area by the
community to protect wildlife and
Protected Areas
forests from illegal mining and logging
and also to ensure the survival of their
System (NPAS)
culture and traditional way of life.
The Kanuku Mountains, one of the
Konashen officially became a protected
most biologically diverse regions of
area in 2007 under the Amerindian Act
Guyana, are found to the south
but is not listed in the national system.
western part of the country. Sixty
percent of all bird species in Guyana
are found here with eighteen of them
Other areas of interest which may be
only being found in the Guiana’s,
inclusive of the endangered harpy considered for protection include:
eagle. There are more harpy eagle
 Mount Roraima
nests at the base of the western
 Orinduik Falls
Kanuku Mountains than anywhere
 Moraballi Forest Reserve
else on the planet. The arapaima (the
largest freshwater fish) is found in  Mabura Hill
the Rewa river that runs through the
area along with the giant otter, giant
river turtle, black caiman and many
other endangered animals.

Prepared by
Konashen The Environmental Protection Agency
Education, Information & Training Division
Ganges Street, Sophia, Georgetown.
Tel: (592) 225 5467/8; 225 5471/2; 225 6044/48
Fax: 225-5481
Email: eit.epaguyana@gmail.com
 What is a Protected Area?
A protected area is an area of land
which has been legally protected to
preserve its resources, natural beau-
ty or biological diversity.
It is important to protect these sites
as they may have numerous benefits
and unique features found nowhere
else or in very few places. For
example, it may be home to a rare
species of plant or animal and if the
area is destroyed then that rare
species along with all other benefits
of the area will be lost.
A national protected areas system
is a network of such areas which
together form a collection of the
most significant sites within a
country.
Guyana is in the process of setting
up the Guyana Protected Areas
System. This project began in 2006
and is currently ongoing. It is being
executed in three phases.
The 1st phase, which was completed
in June 2011, focused on the
conservation of ecosystems and the
improvement of livelihoods within
communities in and around the
protected areas.
The 2nd phase began in December
2011 and supports infrastructure
development in the protected areas;
specifically for monitoring. This
phase led to the establishment of the
Protected Areas Commission in 2012. It
is not yet completed.
A 3rd phase is proposed to begin in
December 2015 and will focus on
biodiversity conservation and the
achievement of LCDS objectives.
Protected Areas in Guyana
In Guyana, all protected areas are
identified under the Protected Areas Act
of 2011 except for Konashen, an
Amerindian community, which was
designated as protected under the
Amerindian Act. There are five legally
identified national protected areas.
Kaieteur National Park
Kaieteur
became a Beach is protected. It is also a habitat
protected
area in 1929
and covers an area of 242 square km.
The main attraction is the Kaieteur
Falls– the world’s highest single drop
waterfall. The KNP was designated as a
protected area because of its unique
scientific values. It has one of the
highest levels of endemism in South
America. There is high species diversity
and many threatened and endangered
species of birds, primates and felines in
the park area. The forests also protect
important watersheds of the upper
Potaro and Kuribrong rivers.
Shell Beach
The area referred to as Shell Beach is a
160km stretch of beach on Guyana’s
north shore along its coastline between
the mouths of the Pomeroon and Waini
rivers. The name is collectively applied
to nine beaches. The beaches are
composed entirely of mollusk shells
and provide nesting grounds for four
of the world’s eight turtles; including
the endangered giant leatherback
turtle. Its use as a nesting ground is
one of the main reasons why Shell
for a number of other animals, such as
macaws, scarlet ibis, egrets, herons
and Caribbean flamingoes.
Iwokrama Forest Reserve
Iwokrama is a 360,000 hectares of land
area found in the middle of the
country. It is almost entirely covered
with tropical rainforest consisting of
over 500 tree species, 400 species of
birds and also mammals such as