Canopy walkway a draw for Iwokrama
Stabroek News
July 18, 2004
Visitors to the Iwokrama rainforest are up, with revenues from eco-tourism exceeding the US$80,000 collected in the same first six months of 2003.
Visitors totalled 450 compared to 350 in the same period in 2003.
Briefing the media on its activities following the eleventh meeting of the Board of Trustees held on July 14 and 15, newly-appointed Director General, Dr Graham Watkins said the increases were due partially to public relations and marketing of the canopy walkway and other eco-tourism features.
In his remarks, Chairman of the Board, Deputy Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Secretariat, Winston Cox said that this year's meeting of the board was the first to be held at the Iwokrama Field Station.
In the past due to logistical arrangements and the poor state of the road it was virtually impossible to transport members to the site.
The members visited several of the Iwokrama's tourism products including the canopy walkway and Turtle Mountain, which they see as major draws for tourism.
The board also welcomed two new members. The two are former Director General David Cassells, who is the current Chair of the WWF-World Bank Alliance and Alex Armstrong, the former deputy chief executive of the Countryside Alliance in the UK.
Cox said these new trustees substantially strengthen the fund-raising, policy and management capacities of the board.
The board also confirmed Dr Watkins in the position of Director General.
He has been acting as Director General since March of last year.
The board examined Iwokrama's 2004-2006 business and work plans and fund-raising strategies.
They authorised the formation of a wholly owned subsidiary company of the Iwokrama Centre - Iwokrama Timber Incorporated - that will be responsible for developing timber harvesting operations in the Iwokrama forest.
Cox said the board, the Guyana government and the Commonwealth Secretariat would continue to work to secure additional funding to ensure the long-term future of the Iwokrama centre.
The trustees also reported on the progress toward establishing charitable trusts in the UK and the US.
Armstrong said the trust in the United Kingdom should be established in another three months, while the one in the US should be registered in two weeks.
Business arrangements, which include the leasing of two jaguars, two giant otters and two harpy eagles, to the Jacksonville Zoo in Florida, were also discussed.
Progress reports on projects funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Department for International Development (DFID), the Darwin Initiative, the IUCN Netherlands, the Commonwealth, the Audubon and the World Wildlife Fund were also discussed.
To deal with legal issues relating to the development of businesses within the Iwokrama forest, the board established a sub-committee to work toward collaborative management agreements between the centre and local communities.