• urges world to embrace Guyana’s vision for people, planet

PRESIDENT Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali has declared Guyana a global powerhouse in biodiversity, highlighting the country’s vast and intact ecosystems that rival those of much larger nations.
President Ali emphasised that while the world struggles with biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, Guyana continues to preserve over 85 per cent of its forested lands, supporting vibrant and connected ecosystems across its landscape.

“Guyana’s biodiversity punches above its weight on the global stage,” the President said, noting the country’s rich variety of species including over 1,200 bird species, approximately 225 mammal species such as jaguars and giant river otters, and nearly 8,000 plant species, many endemic to the ancient Guiana Shield.
This ecological success is attributed to deliberate policies under the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030, which integrates sustainability into national development plans.
President Ali stressed that nature is not a constraint to development but a foundation for it, with Guyana’s rainforests, wetlands, rivers, and savannahs serving as working landscapes that benefit both people and the planet.

Looking ahead, Guyana is pioneering innovative biodiversity finance models, including plans to develop biodiversity credits, tradable units that quantify conservation outcomes to generate new income streams for forest communities and incentivise broader conservation efforts.

“Our commitment is bold,” said President Ali, outlining Guyana’s pledge to double protected and conserved areas by 2025 and achieve the global “30 by 30” target of protecting 30 per cent of land and marine ecosystems by 2030. This commitment is supported by science, legislation, community engagement, and international partnerships.

Guyana’s leadership in biodiversity conservation is bolstered by collaborations with major global institutions and organisations including Yale Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Conservation International, the World Bank, and the Governments of Brazil and other states, alongside Indigenous communities and private sector partners in green finance.
As Guyana prepares to host the inaugural Global Biodiversity Alliance Summit, President Ali invited the world to learn from Guyana’s experience, emphasising that economic development, social inclusion, and ecological integrity can go hand in hand.

“This is Guyana’s story, but it is also the world’s future,” he concluded, urging global partners to think differently, act boldly, and join in building a resilient, biodiverse, and equitable planet.