The Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development is an autonomous non-profit institution established by

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

and the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

. It "exists to promote the conservation and the sustainable and equitable use of tropical rain forests in a manner that leads to lasting ecological, economic, and social benefits to the people of Guyana and to the world in general, by undertaking research, training, and the development and dissemination of technologies". It started in 1989 as a gift to the Commonwealth by late president

Desmond Hoyte Hugh Desmond Hoyte (9 March 1929 – 22 December 2002) was a Guyanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Guyana from 1984 to 1985 and President of Guyana from 1985 until 1992. Personal Life and Education Hoyte was born on 9 March 19 ...

, and the Iwokrama Act signed by late President

Cheddi Jagan Cheddi Berret Jagan (22 March 1918 – 6 March 1997) was a Guyanese politician and dentist who was first elected Chief Minister in 1953 and later Premier of British Guiana from 1961 to 1964. He later served as President of Guyana from 1992 ...

in 1996 officially established the center. The Center manages the Iwokrama Forest in central Guyana to show how tropical forests can be conserved and sustainably used to provide

ecological Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps w ...

, social and economic benefits to local, national and international communities. The forest has an area of 3710 km² (1432 mile²). Iwokrama Centre offers compensation in the form of capital to residents of surrounding communities. One third of incomes provided by Iwokrama employment exceed Guyana’s poverty threshold of $282. Financial (or other) compensation for residents can be integral to continued community support of conservation initiatives, and can reduce the likelihood of locals leaving in search of other work in mines or other enterprises in the country. Iwokrama builds partnerships with local communities and the private sector. These partnerships combine

traditional knowledge Traditional knowledge (TK), indigenous knowledge (IK) and local knowledge generally refer to knowledge systems embedded in the cultural traditions of regional, indigenous, or local communities. According to the World Intellectual Property Organ ...

, science and business to develop "green", socially responsible and sustainable forest products and services, like low-impact timber harvesting, ecotourism, training forest rangers and guides, and harvesting aquarium fish. Businesses provide local and national benefits, and so help maintain international biodiversity and climate.

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...

has been a patron of the centre since 2000. The centre also works with the

University of Guyana The University of Guyana, in Georgetown, Guyana, is Guyana's national higher education institution. It was established in April 1963 with the following Mission: "To discover, generate, disseminate, and apply knowledge of the highest standard for ...

's science programme with a focus on biodiversity. Iwokrama evaluates the social, economic and ecological changes that occur as a result of business development. The objective is to become a model for business development that results in the worldwide conservation of tropical forests. Despite conservation efforts,

illegal logging Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a pro ...

and mining threatens the area. Under the Iwokrama Act, illegal operations can result in a fine of up to GYD $100,000 or imprisonment for a period of one year.

References

{{reflist Nature conservation in Guyana Science and technology in Guyana Forest conservation organizations