1. Annual Report :
• Th e PRMU shall draft an annual “State of the Community’s Resources, to be completed my October 15th of each year.
2. Regulatory Agency
• Th e PRMU shall maintain a strictly regulatory role and shall not engage directly in any natural resource utilization scheme, including, but not limited to, tourism, mining, forestry, livestock production and/or agriculture.
3. Village Environmental Offi cers
a. Each village shall appoint a minimum of one (1) Village Environmental Offi cer (VEO) in a manner consistent with this document.
b. Responsibilities of the VEO includes, but not limited to:
• Assisting the Toshao with law enforcement;
• Conducting natural resource inventory and monitoring;
• Allocation of Community Resource Use Permits according to the direction of the PRMU;
and,
• Assist with the development and implementation of plans and strategies.
ARTICLE 4: RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
1. Community Natural Resources Management Plan a. Purpose and Contents
• By November 15 of each year, the PRMU shall develop and adopt a “Community Natural Resources
Management Plan” to detail strategic protection and utilization of the represented community’s resources.
The Plan shall as much as possible describe current and proposed natural resource management activity, including, but not limited to, the following:
• Inventory and description of natural resource use, including land, water, and biodiversity;
• Identifi cation of ecological status, challenges, opportunities, proposed actions and responsible parties, including research and management priorities;
• Proposed methods to regulate natural resource access, use and protection, including prioritization of resource allocation;
• Complete description of boundaries under jurisdiction of community, including an identifi cation and description of natural resource conservation zones;
• Regulations for the use and management of species, including harvest methods, limits, seasons, and locations;
• Regulatory guidance for the allocation, use, monitoring and enforcement of community and commercial permits, including harvest quotas, decision-making procedures, and tourism management and development guidelines; Identifi cation of capacity needs and related capacity building programs, including public awareness, education, and training related to natural resource management.
As deemed necessary by the PRMU, the Plan may include subsidiary plans for:
• Species and Habitat Management, including wetlands; and,
• Tourism and Management of Sustainable Economic Development.
2. Resource Use Quotas
As deemed necessary to uphold the principles of this document, the PRMU may establish a resource use quota for inclusion within the Community Conservation Plan.
• Each quota shall defi ne the total amount of a resource type that may be harvested in a specifi c natural resource zone during a particular time period.
• Th e resource use quota shall be used to guide commercial and subsistence use of resources in the region, including the issuance of permits.
• Th e use quota shall be based upon the Village Summaries, resource inventories, research activity, best available science, traditional knowledge and other germane information.
3. Natural Resource Protection and Use Zones a. Establishment:
• Th e PRMU shall, within one (1) year of the enactment of this document, detail the boundaries of Natural Resource Use Zones.
b. Purpose
• Zone designation shall be based upon the ecological and socio-economic needs of the North Rupununi and the principles of this document.
4. Community Resource Use Permit a. Requirement
• Th e PRMU may require persons to secure a “Community Resource Use Permit” (CRUP) from an appropriate Village Council prior to the harvest of any natural resource, including, but not limited to, hunting, fi shing, fl ora collection, and/or tree harvest by groups or individuals.
• Th e PRMU shall require persons to secure a CRUP from the appropriate Village Council as necessary to maintain the North Rupununi’s ecological integrity, including the conservation and survival of particular species and/or ecosystems at risk of over-exploitation.
• Th e Community Resource Management Plan shall specify those activities requiring Community Resource Use Permits.
b. Non-Community Member CRUPs
• Any non-community member harvesting natural resources for any reason shall secure a CRUP from the Village Council prior to commencing harvest activities.
5. Commercial Resource Permits
• All persons shall secure a “Commercial Resource Permit” from the appropriate Village Council prior to harvesting, utilizing or disturbing any natural resource for commercial purposes.
6 .Flora and Fauna Management Species Status
• Th e PRMU shall be responsible for monitoring the health of the region’s ecological systems as well determining the status of individual species of fl ora and fauna.
Species Listing
• Th e PRMU shall, within the Plan, detail listing procedures and critical indicators to be used to identify the status of individual species.
• Th ese listing procedures shall include reference to relevant Guyanese law as well as international models, including CITES.
• Species lists shall be used to inform both licensing and permitting activities and may include the designation of game species requiring a permit prior to harvest.
Regional Listings
• Th e PRMU shall have the authority to make listing determinations more stringent than those found in Guyanese Law.
Recovery Strategy
• If the PRMU fi nds that a species is at signifi cant risk of extinction throughout all or part of the North Rupununi, the PRMU and it’s agents shall:
Harvest Management
• Th e PRMU shall have the authority to draft regulatory guidelines for inclusion within the Plan to manage methods of harvesting fl ora and fauna. Th is authority shall include, but is not limited to, regulating:
• Th e use of fi rearms, bait, explosives, poison, snares, lines, nets, pits, vehicles, motors, bow and arrow, spear and any other tool or conveyance used for the harvest of wild species; and,
• Th e seasons, dates, times, and locations of allowed and not allowed harvest for particular species and classes of species.