GUYANA’S incredible biodiversity is receiving international attention and this is an important opportunity to show that protection of the natural environment and the pursuit of economic development are not mutually exclusive.
Rather, with the right policies, conservation can be a driver of investment, jobs, better livelihoods and long-term national prosperity through sustainable finance and meaningful community participation.
That was the key challenge laid out by President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali when he addressed the Second Global Biodiversity Alliance Conference and Financing Forum at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre at Liliendaal.
His message was especially important in that it shifted the conversation away from the usual language of environmental pledges and pronouncements and more towards concrete results and investments that can be put to use.
The president challenged alliance members to explain how protecting biodiversity can bring tangible economic rewards, and called on each participating country to get at least one finance-ready biodiversity project ready for next year’s annual meeting.
He made clear that the success of the conference should not be measured by the speeches, but by what happens afterward.
This is precisely the kind of accountability that the global conservation movement needs to have. Environmental conferences have always had lots of ambitious commitments, but have been weak on how to fund, implement and turn those commitments into improvements in people’s lives.
Protecting forests, rivers, wetlands and wildlife is vital, but these goals need to be coupled with credible economic models that ensure that communities benefit tangibly from their stewardship of natural resources.
Guyana’s own experience provides a useful basis for such an approach. The country has tried to establish a development model through its Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030, whereby the economic value of standing forests helps finance national priorities, while supporting climate resilience and community development.
It is particularly important that a minimum 15 per cent of revenue from carbon-credit sales is returned to Indigenous villages and local communities.
This mechanism allows communities to identify and implement projects based on their own priorities through Village Sustainability Plans.
By June 2026, nearly 3,000 projects had been carried out in Indigenous communities, thanks to this financing framework.
This shows how international environmental finance can be linked to local development rather than being limited to institutional programmes.

Another significant addition to this initiative is the latest US$12.5 million commitment by four international philanthropic organisations to conservation in the Acarai-Corentyne corridor. Funding to protect the area has been pledged by the Bezos Earth Fund, Andes Amazon Fund, Nia Tero and Rainforest Trust, with support being conditional on legally binding protections against mining and other activities incompatible with conservation.

This commitment is important not just for the financial contribution, but because it recognises that enduring conservation requires more than identifying environmentally sensitive areas and putting boundaries around them. It needs ongoing funding, strong institutions, scientific research, community engagement, and legal protection that can be enforced.

The corridor is especially significant for its ecological value. In a scientific survey in November 2024, researchers and Indigenous experts found more than 30 new-to-science species, as well as dozens of species not previously recorded in Guyana. Discoveries of this type highlight the need to protect these ecosystems before human activities and environmental pressures degrade the habitats that may contain species and ecological resources unknown to science.

But the participation of Indigenous communities must be more than a token in conservation programmes. They have generations of knowledge of the forests, rivers, wildlife and ecosystems they live in. They should be involved in decision-making, governance, monitoring and the management of conservation resources. Their rights, including free, prior and informed consent, should be respected, and the economic benefits of conservation should flow to the people whose stewardship helps protect these landscapes.

The president’s call for a more commercially sustainable approach to biodiversity protection is relevant again. Conservation cannot be based indefinitely on periodic philanthropy or short-term international projects. There is a need for countries to establish reliable and long-term financing mechanisms to maintain protected areas, while providing compensation for the economic costs of curtailing some activities, as well as alternative livelihood opportunities.

Guyana’s biodiversity offers opportunities in fields such as sustainable tourism, scientific research, environmental monitoring, sustainable forestry, traditional knowledge-based enterprises and other nature-positive economic activities. When developed properly, these sectors can create jobs while providing communities with economic incentives to protect the natural resources on which their livelihoods depend.

The challenge is to make sure that these kinds of opportunities are developed responsibly, and that biodiversity does not become yet another resource to be exploited at the expense of the very ecosystems that conservation efforts are trying to protect.

The growth of the Global Biodiversity Alliance also provides Guyana with an opportunity to shape international debates on how nature is valued and financed. The alliance was launched in July 2025 with 17 founding members and has since grown to 147, reflecting growing international interest in a coordinated approach to protecting biodiversity. Its increasing membership is encouraging, but the real test of its impact will be whether the countries involved can mobilise resources and implement projects that produce verifiable results.

Such arrangements could help to reduce obstacles to private-sector participation, promote cross-border investment and provide greater certainty for investors interested in conservation-related projects. The alliance should also explore blended finance, biodiversity bonds and other innovative instruments that can combine public resources, philanthropy and private capital. These mechanisms were some of the financing approaches identified for discussion at the Georgetown forum.

All investments need to be underpinned by sound regulations, transparent accounting, independent monitoring and clear, benefit-sharing arrangements.

There also has to be accountability on how money for conservation is spent.