Message by Hon Raphael G.C. Trotman M.P., Minister of Natural Resources of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana on the observance of World Environment Day 2017 – June 5, 2017 under the theme ‘Connecting People To Nature’

We at the Ministry of Natural Resources are proud and humbled to join His Excellency David Arthur Granger, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, other sector agencies, Government ministries and Guyanese at home and abroad in observing World Environment Day on Monday June 5, 2017.

Since 1974, this day has been set aside to recognize the vital importance of our environment and the need for it to be protected, not only for current generations but also for those yet unborn. The observance of the day has turned into a global platform, helping the United Nations Environmental Programme raise awareness and generate political momentum around current environmental concerns such as depletion of the ozone layer, toxic chemicals, desertification and global warming.

The theme of this year’s observance is ‘Connecting People to Nature’. This is a theme which the Ministry wholly embraces. The Ministry of Natural Resources is at the forefront of crafting policies intended to further protect Guyana’s environment. Our decisions are informed by programmes aimed at mainstreaming biodiversity in the gold mining industry, reducing and eventually eliminating the use of mercury in gold mining, transitioning to better technologies to ensure greater gold recovery rates and supporting land reclamation initiatives in mined out areas in addition to studies in greener forest practices.

Additionally, the Ministry has established a Compliance Division that will not only support the enforcement of the regulations and laws in the natural resources sectors in mining and forestry but also address matters of the security nature, the country’s wildlife and tremendous biodiversity.

People are critical to the process of protection of the natural world that sustains our daily lives and are therefore engaged in every aspect of the efforts of the Ministry to reach its objectives. There is already present among the ethos of the people of Guyana a great appreciation for our natural environment and an understanding of the need for its protection and conservation.

We at the Ministry of Natural Resources therefore encourage the Guyanese people to have a renewed sense of appreciation for our country’s rich biodiversity. On this World Environment Day 2017, let us pledge to undertake a greater share of the responsibility for taking care of the environment in the conduct of our daily affairs.