-regulatory body will also be establishedGuyana’s move to declare several areas as protected zones is paying off with Germany yesterday announcing its intentions to release 5M Euros ($1.3B) to help establish a Protected Areas Commission and a Trust Fund.The areas, particularly Kaieteur National Park and the Shell Beach Protected Area, are to benefit from infrastructural works from the program which is expected to last for two years.It will also see the revamping of the National Parks Commission to make its work more in line with the conservation efforts.The announcement of the program was made yesterday during a press conference hosted by the newly established Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment,Marco Reus Germany Jersey, at the Office of the President.Ben ter Welle, Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany,Mario Gomez Germany Jersey, shakes hands with Natural Resources Minister, Robert Persaud, yesterday, during an announcement that Germany will release $1.3B for protected areas in the country.At the press conference were Minister Robert Persaud; Ben ter Welle, Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany; Dr. Indarjit Ramdass. Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and representatives of the National Parks Commission,Dzenis Burnic Jersey, among others.It was explained that the funding will be channeled through the German Development Bank KreditanstaltthrWiederaufbau (KfW), with the EPA, under the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, functioning as the implementing agency.It will not be the first time that Germany has cooperated with Guyana. The German Development Cooperation Agency (GIZ) assisted Guyana with over US$7M during the period 1996-2004 through the Natural Resources Management Project, which among other things, saw the introduction of Geographical Information Systems to agencies such as the Guyana Forestry Commission, Lands and Surveys Commission and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission.In 2004, Germany and the Government of Guyana signed an agreement for implementation of a ?2.56M Guyana Protected Areas System (GPAS) – Conservation of Tropical Forests Project. Referred to as GPAS Phase I, this project ran from February 2006 to November 2011.It supported sustainable livelihood projects in over 30 Amerindian communities associated with Shell Beach,Gianluca Lapadula Jersey, Kanuku Mountains, Kaieteur National Park and the Upper Mazaruni.This initiative also led to the drafting of the National Protected Areas Act, delineation plans for both the Kanuku Mountains and Shell Beach Protected Areas,Maxwell Jersey, and a draft Kanuku Mountains Management Plan.The current commitment of ?5M, or GPAS Phase II, will be disbursed in two tranches. The first tranche of over ?1M will be for support of the establishment of the Protected Areas Commission and the development of infrastructure for the management of individual National Protected Areas, particularly Kaieteur National Park and the Shell Beach Protected Area.The second tranche of ?4M will be used as an endowment for the establishment of the Protected Areas Trust Fund. This Phase is expected to run for a maximum of two years.With the successful completion of GPAS Phase I, and following recent efforts by the Government of Guyana, Germany has agreed to a further commitment of ?4.3M in funds for Guyana.A protected area is a location which is important for its landscape, beauty or biological diversity or “biodiversity” and which has been protected by national law.There are several kinds of protected areas. Each type involves different management, goals and strategies for resource conservation. Some, such as nature reserves, are created strictly for the protection of wildlife and for the maintenance of undisturbed ecosystems. Others,Custom Mexico Jersey, such as national parks, are created for the protection of areas with important national resources, where educational visits and tourism may occur.According to the Honorary Consul, Guyana has continued to deliver on its commitment on the projects.The Minister stressed that work to have protected areas would in no way affect mining, forestry and other economical activities and noted that since the assent of the Protected Areas Act, the implementation phase is now fully on its way.Ramdass further explained that resources from previous arrangements have been used to facilitate 46 projects, mainly assisting communities in the h