–President sees Centre as key to Guyana’s future; a repository for renewable energy

By Svetlana Marshall

THE Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development will be used as a flagship project by the APNU+AFC Administration for the harvesting of renewable energy, President David Granger has announced.

During his weekly televised programme, the Public Interest, the President said the future of Guyana is in Iwokrama. “Without biodiversity, without sustainable exploitation of our resources, we will not be able to develop this country, quickly and fully,” he posited.

‘I see Iwokrama as a big laboratory; a big laboratory that will preserve our flora and fauna for future generations’ — President Granger

It was explained that the international centre for rainforest conservation and development will be used as a project through which people can harvest renewable energy in a sustainable manner. “I see Iwokrama as a big laboratory; a big laboratory that will preserve our flora and fauna for future generations,” the President added.

COMMITTED
The President’s announcement comes one year after he committed to working closely with Iwokrama with the aim of restructuring its agenda. That commitment was made in June 2015 following a meeting with Iwokrama’s Chief Executive Officer Dane Gobin, along with Conservationist Major General (Ret’d) Joe Singh and Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman at a time when the centre was operating at a shortfall of US$1.3M.

‘Without biodiversity, without sustainable exploitation of our resources, we will not be able to develop this country, quickly and fully’ –- President Granger

The CEO had explained during an interview at the time that the Centre needed an average of US$2.5M to effectively execute its mandate, which is to promote the conservation and sustainable use of tropical rainforests in a manner that would lead to lasting ecological, economic and social benefits for the people of Guyana.

CHALLENGES
In 2014, Iwokrama raked in a total income of US$1.2M, with the Government contributing US$600,000. In 2013 and 2014, the Government provided a total of US$1.5M to relieve the Centre of its financial burden. In July 2015, US$100,000 were pumped into the ailing Centre.

In 2013, the Centre commissioned two financial reports which suggested that between US$750,000 and US$1.2 million was needed annually to meet its core functions.

In addition to the payment of rental fees, telephone and electricity bills, the core functions include the conduct of research and science; forest management and monitoring; business development in the areas of timber production and tourism, community and stakeholder partnerships, information dissemination and outreach.

Funds are sourced from earned revenues and investments (from businesses and partners), donors, intellectual property, and services — including eco-system services.

A GIFT
Iwokrama was given as a gift to the Commonwealth by then President, Desmond Hoyte. This act was endorsed by President Cheddi Jagan when he came into power.

Dedicated as a place for research “to develop, demonstrate, and make available to Guyana and the international community systems, methods and techniques for the sustainable management and utilisation of the multiple resources of the tropical forest and the conservation of biological diversity,” the Iwokrama rainforest is located in the geographical heart of Guyana.
It comprises 371,000 hectares of forest (1.6% of Guyana’s landmass and 2% of Guyana’s forests).

The Iwokrama Centre was established in 1996 to manage the forest area, following the signing the year before of an international agreement between the Guyana Government and the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Enshrined in an Act of the Guyana Parliament, the agreement gave the Centre the mandate “to promote the conservation and the sustainable and equitable use of tropical rainforests in a manner that would lead to lasting ecological, economic and social benefits to the people of Guyana and to the world in general.”

The Centre has the task of testing the proposition that conservation, environmental balance and sustainable economic activity are mutually reinforcing, that it is possible to use a forest without losing it.