Iwokrama at the heart of climate change
By Kenwah Cho Quan Yi
Guyana Chronicle
February 11, 2007
THE Iwokrama International Centre aims to show the world that Iwokrama and the forests of the Guiana Shield are crucial in maintaining the world’s ability to breathe amid the growing dangers from climate change.
Determined to prove its worth after years of preparation, the centre on Friday presented an ambitious five-year business plan to achieve financial stability and ensure its success at establishing businesses based on sustainable use of tropical rainforests for the benefit of the local, national and international community.
“After ten years of building the necessary framework for such businesses, the centre has now developed a multifaceted portfolio that reengages the international community at the level of business creation and development, whilst maintaining emphasis on research, conservation and management,” said Director General of Iwokrama, Dr. David Singh.
During a media briefing at Hotel Tower, Main Street, Georgetown, the plan was presented by advisor to the Board of Trustees, Mr. John Clement.
It outlines how the centre will raise the requisite finances over the period up to 2010 to achieve its vision of becoming a “leading international authority on development of models for commercially sustainable, practical, and community–inclusive conservation business based on tropical forest and their natural assets”, Singh stated.
He said the plan was approved last year by the Board of Trustees.
Singh explained that Guyana, and indeed the world, is starting to awaken to the strong relationship between the environment and the people’s ability to maintain sustainable human development.
The plan surrounds four principal lines of business - eco-tourism, timber, training and intellectual property.
It will ensure Iwokrama provides a unique and priceless contribution to the global issue of rainforest research and climate change mitigation.
The four areas of business activity reflect the centre’s key objectives of fulfilling an international role through scientific research; through the promotion of best practice in sustainable forest management; and through enabling a much greater number of visitors from Guyana and around the world to experience the beauty and grandeur of Iwokrama, the Essequibo River on its doorstep and the Rupununi Wetlands to the south.
The centre said practical steps are already being undertaken towards these objectives: the completion of Iwokrama’s airstrip by October 30, 2007 initiated by the Guyana Government; the beginning after the rains of an experiment in sustainable timber harvesting; the recent opening of discussions with international universities at the forefront of climate change on possible new global warming monitoring facilities at Kurupukari; and early improvements in Iwokrama’s eco-tourism facilities.
Chairman of the Board of Trustees and former British High Commissioner here, Mr. Edward Glover, said the plan was chosen for two principal reasons.
He said “first is financial strength. The Trustees believe Iwokrama must be master of its own financial house, not solely dependent on official donors with other and understandable priorities…It is up to Iwokrama to deliver a modern, efficient, effective and robust business with steady and reliable cash-flow, just like any other reputable business organization.”
He said that to this end its private sector funding effort is already under way.
The Board of Trustees has already received, he said, the first pathfinder commitment from a UK company towards their funding objective of $US2 million, and the major British banking group HBSC will launch the public fundraising effort on February 26, 2007.
Glover said, “The objective of the Trustees is to work with companies and foundations with strong corporate social responsibility programmes with an emphasis on climate change mitigation.”
“We look to all enterprises - public and private – to give Iwokrama their unqualified support. The trustees will spread their search for partners far and wide. But as I said many times as High Commissioner, ordinary people matter. Their support, however limited, will be equally important and highly valued.”
The second principal reason for the plan, he said, is in response to the challenge of climate change.
Glover noted that there is an overwhelming body of scientific evidence which now clearly indicates that climate change is a serious and urgent issue and pointed to Iwokrama’s key role in finding, in relation to tropical rainforest, mutual reinforcement between conservation and economic activity.
He explained that Iwokrama is a unique institution, the only one of its kind in the world.
“It is now poised after ten years of preparation to put the proposition of sustainable forest management to the supreme test.”
If it works, he said, Iwokrama will have served the purpose envisaged for it at its inception in 1989.
“…stopping unnecessary deforestation is crucial. But it is at Iwokrama that the trustees intend to prove that poverty reduction, environmental balance and sustainable economic development are not contradictory.”
“Trustees therefore look to the sustainable timber partnership that Iwokrama has forged, and others associated with it, to deliver what has been promised with speed, professionalism and integrity.”
Glover said he and Sir Shridath Rhamphal, former Commonwealth Secretary General and current Chairman of Tigerwoods Inc. will work towards that commitment.
Iwokrama’s staff and trustees are now looking to a wide variety of new partners - both national and international - to help fulfil the centre’s objectives.
The centre said staff and trustees will seek support from like-minded major corporate entities, trusts and foundations and from wealthy individuals to ensure that Iwokrama will have a flourishing financial independence in the coming years and so enhance Guyana’s international reputation.
According to Singh, “The success of Iwokrama is measured in the dual nature of its work. It is expected to generate profit-making community-inclusive forest-based businesses, whilst at the same time it is expected to be a world leader in rainforest conservation. The two are not mutually exclusive, and at all times the two tracks must lead in the same direction in order to fulfil its mission.”
The Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development is an autonomous non-profit institution established by Guyana and the Commonwealth.
The centre manages the nearly one million acre (371,000 hectares) Iwokrama Forest in central Guyana to show how tropical forests can be conserved and sustainably used to provide ecological, social and economic benefits to local, national and international communities.