His Majesty King Charles III will continue to serve as Patron of the Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development (IIC) for another term in supporting the Centre’s work to advance sustainable rainforest management and climate change resilience. This announcement is part of a series of events to celebrate the first anniversary of his Majesty’s coronation.
The then, HRH Prince of Wales, His Majesty the King, first became IIC’s Patron in 2000 after visiting Guyana and the Iwokrama Forest and has been a strong supporter of Iwokrama’s work to develop modern rainforest conservation models and practices, and its innovative approaches to valuing the ecosystem services which tropical forests generate for the benefit of mankind.
Whilst the Centre generates some revenue, it continues to receive support from donors and corporate support programmes and in recent years has benefitted significantly from the Government of Guyana. Guyana’s President, H. E. Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali has charted Guyana’s innovative green development agenda through the Low Carbon Development Strategy 2030 (LCDS 2030) of which Iwokrama is an integral part guiding the research and science of biodiversity. In tandem with Guyana’s rapidly developing oil and gas sector, the LCDS 2030 ensures that conservation remains a top national priority and the Centre’s programmatic activity is pivotal in supporting these goals.
The Board, management and staff of Iwokrama, our community partners (the communities of the North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB) warmly welcome this news of the His Majesty’s continued patronage. Iwokrama’s models of sustainable forest management contribute to rainforest conservation by delivering not only climate protection and environmental balance, but also real examples for socioeconomic development, in particular for the local communities whose livelihoods have, and continue to be dependent on the rainforest. His Majesty’s strong personal support to Iwokrama and his continued commitment to rainforest conservation at the global landscape are well respected and highly valued by the Centre.
