The Iwokrama Forest Reserve

This article has been migrated to: The Iwokrama Forest Reserve on the Guyana, South America official website.

First Published: 24th of November, 2014 by Patrick Carpen

The Iworkrama Forest Reserve consists of 31,700 hectares of tropical rainforest in Guyana, South America. The Iwokrama Forest Reserve is managed by the Iwokrama International Center for Rainforest Conservation and Development.

According to the Iwokrama Website, The Iwokrama International Center for Rainforest Conservation and Development is an international not-for-profit organization, governed by an International Board of Trustees and managed by a professional team of around seventy permanent staff in Georgetown and at the Iwokrama River Lodge and Research Centre at Kurupukari. The organization is sponsored by His Royal Highness, Price Charles of Wales.

The IIC was established in 1996 to manage the Iwokrama Rainforest Reserve “in a manner that will lead to lasting ecological, economic and social benefits to the people of Guyana and to the world in general.”

The Iwokrama forest and its research center are unique, providing a dedicated site in which to test the concept of a truly sustainable forest – where conservation, environmental balance, and economic use can be mutually reinforcing. Drawing on its earlier work in sustainable forest management, the IIC is now, in close collaboration with the Government of Guyana, the Commonwealth and other international partners including the UK company Canopy Capital, developing a new approach to enable countries with rainforests to earn significant income from eco-system services and creative conservation practice.

The Iwokrama International Center uses the Forest Reserve for scientific purposes as well as eco-tourism and sustainable forestry. One of its objective is to help fight the effects of climate by conserving the forest.