…funds to be used to implement science strategy

THE Iwokrama International Centre has received $50M from ExxonMobil Guyana toward the implementation of a five-year science strategy that will also fund key investments to help protect Guyana’s tropical forests.

In a statement, the centre said the additional funding comes at a critical time as the centre is stretched by challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and an increase in illegal mining activities prompted by rising gold prices. It said to combat illegal gold mining operations in the Iwokrama forest, the Centre plans to invest in a drone to provide aerial maps of the forest cover, allowing enforcement teams to identify gaps.

“COVID-19 has permanently changed the way forest managers manage their forests. Safety protocols have made logistics very expensive and inconvenient,” said Chief Executive Officer, Dane Gobin. “Forest managers need to now adjust to this ‘new normal’ if they are to continue to protect the forest and we hope to use some of this funding to help with that.”

The Iwokrama International Centre is also adding virtual reality platforms that will allow scientists, students and researchers to stay connected remotely, while a third project will allow direct sponsorship of the Iwokrama Forest through a fundraising mechanism through which corporations and the general public can be directly involved in conservation activities.

The new additions will complement ongoing work of the centre in the areas of climate and hydrology, biodiversity and community education. Some major outputs from the science programme include the installation of a new Iwokrama Science Committee (ISC), outreach activities, capacity building and awareness programmes for the local communities, the production of Guyana’s “legal field guide for natural resource practitioners,” and the development of the country’s first 3D map of community (Fair View village). ExxonMobil has been a significant supporter of the Iwokrama Science Programme, providing more than GYD$180M since 2017. It also supports the STEM programmes at the local community level.

The Iwokrama International Centre (IIC) was established in 1996 under a joint mandate from the Government of Guyana and the Commonwealth Secretariat to manage 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.”