The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has re-tendered a consultancy to prepare an integrated strategy for the North Rupununi Wetland Productive Landscape, with bids due on October 20.
The invitation, published on the government’s procurement portal, provides for national competitive bidding. Submissions must reach the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board at Main and Urquhart streets, Georgetown, by 9 am.
An earlier invitation available on the EPA’s website had set June 9, 2026 as the submission deadline for preparation of the same strategy. The new invitation expressly identifies the exercise as a re-tender.
The proposed strategy comes against a history of concern over development pressures on the wetlands and demands for communities to have a meaningful role in decisions affecting the area.
Many years ago the the North Rupununi District Development Board and the Guyana Policy Forum had sought protection for the wetlands amid concerns about a reservoir at Nappi and plans for large-scale agriculture.
The organisations highlighted the wetlands’ role in storing, filtering and replenishing freshwater and supporting the livelihoods of surrounding Indigenous communities. They also called for greater community involvement in development planning and safeguards against activities incompatible with conservation.
More recently, Stabroek News reported in March 2025 that the government suspended a mining permit at Aranaputa following objections from residents, regional officials and environmental groups.
Those concerns included potential effects on headwaters, fish-spawning areas and the wider North Rupununi ecosystem, as well as questions about environmental assessment and consultation.
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