HIS Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales will continue to be  Patron of the body for another five years to support further the centre’s work to advance sustainable rainforest management, a recent release issued by the Iwokrama International Centre (ICC) said.
First becoming the ICC’s patron in 2000 and renewing his commitment in 2005, the Prince of Wales has been a strong supporter of Iwokrama’s work to develop modern rainforest conservation practices and new approaches to valuing the ecosystem services which tropical forests generate for the benefit of mankind.
The Chairman of the Iwokrama Board of Trustees, Edward Glover, warmly welcomed HRH’s ongoing support saying: ‘The Iwokrama International Centre, its communities and trustees greatly value this excellent and most welcome news.  Our model is intended to contribute to saving forests by delivering not only climate protection and environmental balance but also real opportunities for poverty reduction and wealth creation, particularly for communities whose livelihood depend directly on these forests. The Prince of Wales strong persona support and continued commitment mean so much to all of us at Iwokrama”.
The ICC was established in 1995, under a joint mandate from the Government of Guyana and the Commonwealth Secretariat to mange the Iwokrama forest, a unique reserve of 371,000 hectares of rainforest “… in a manner that will lead to lasting ecological, economic and social benefits to the people of Guyana and to the world in general”.