(GINA) President Bharrat Jagdeo’s leadership in pioneering Guyana as a good example of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) was praised by President of Conservation International (CI) Dr Russell Mittermeier who met him yesterday at State House to discuss the importance of highly forested countries to the climate change mitigation drive.

President Bharrat Jagdeo meets the Conservation International team

Dr. Russell was accompanied by CI’s Director David Singh and Economist Dr. Jonah Busch.

“The President has been very strong in his leadership on this issue over the past two years or so and has become one of the global figures recognised for his commitment to this issue of ensuring that tropical forests are conserved and that their emissions do not go into the atmosphere,” Dr Mittermeier said.

In the lead up to the Conference of the Parties (COP-15) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Copenhagen later this year, both CI and President Jagdeo share the same position about a carbon credit initiative for highly forested countries such as Guyana to be achieved.

It is also hoped that this initiative will lay the foundation for the post-Kyoto protocol in 2012.

In an invited comment, Dr. Mittermeier said efforts are being made to ensure Guyana emerge as a leader in the development of low carbon economies.

About 20 percent of all emissions emanate from the burning of tropical forests. However, highly forested countries such as Guyana and Suriname can contribute towards mitigation because of the valuable contribution of their forests.

Mittermeier said it is important for the international community to work with such countries to ensure the further promotion of forest conservation, climate change mitigation and biodiversity protection.

“Those countries that are fortunate to have a large percentage of their forest cover remaining will be very significant beneficiaries in the future,” Mittermeier posited

Guyana has been considered by Conservation International a “high forest cover, low deforestation rate” country with enough potential to contribute to the climate change mitigation drive.

President Jagdeo has been at the forefront of the carbon credit initiative, promoting the maintenance of Guyana’s pristine standing forests in exchange for funding to pursue the Government’s development agenda.

He has already attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, held meetings with Prince Charles in London, and with the Norwegian President in that country, and made presentations to members of the US Congress in Washington, D.C. earlier this year on the matter. Most recently he addressed the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development where he urged that Copenhagen must commit to deep cuts in greenhouse gas emission, create financial flows and technology transfer.

In December 2008, the President launched Guyana’s Position on Avoided Deforestation which essentially serves as the model for the LCDS.