–King Charles III says, acknowledges Guyana’s conservation efforts
–urges other countries to protect ‘nature’ resources
KING Charles III has praised Guyana’s efforts to protect its forests, and urged countries to restore biodiversity, as he and President Dr Irfaan Ali set out a vision for closer conservation partnerships.
Speaking on the sidelines of the second Global Biodiversity Alliance Conference and Financing Forum at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, the King said Guyana offered an important example of how forest protection and national development could be pursued together.
“It’s wonderful for me to come back after 26 years to Guyana, particularly also my role as a patron of Iwokrama, which I see is still going strong,” King Charles III said.
The King recalled his earlier involvement in supporting Guyana’s low-carbon development approach, and said he hoped its experience would be replicated elsewhere.
He called for urgent action to restore nature, including on degraded land, and highlighted agroforestry and mixed approaches to land management.
“Here in Guyana, you have the most wonderful example of really special treasure of natural species. You have managed to keep an enormous percentage of your forest. That is an incredible achievement,” the King said, adding: “I admire what is happening here in Guyana, and I look forward so much to seeing how the balance can be struck between development and conservation.”
He also reflected on the difficulty of assigning nature a monetary value, noting that its worth cannot be captured simply in financial terms.
Protecting biodiversity, he said, was closely connected to human health and the interests of future generations. King Charles last visited Guyana in February 2000, when he was still the Prince of Wales.
President Ali, in his remarks, reiterated that Guyana had maintained its forests while pioneering international financing for conservation, with revenues supporting national development and thousands of projects.
He described the country’s forests as living infrastructure that sustains ecosystems, biodiversity and community livelihoods.
Dr Ali said: “We have maintained our forests, pioneered international financing for forest conservation and channelled revenues into national development and thousands of projects across our country. And now our ambitions continue to grow to encompass biodiversity, sustainable cities, and a wider relationship between people and nature.”
The president said Guyana’s ambitions now extend beyond forest conservation to include biodiversity, sustainable cities and a stronger relationship between people and nature.
He cited work on revitalising Georgetown and developing a “village of harmony” that would bring together Indigenous knowledge, traditional crafts, sustainable livelihoods and the protection of nature.
Further, sustainable Markets Initiative and other partnerships, he said, could bring governments, businesses, communities and international expertise together to mobilise investment and deliver practical benefits
