The Irfaan Ali administration is once again presenting Guyana as a global model for forest conservation and climate financing even as concerns continue to grow over increasing forest loss linked to mining, infrastructure expansion, logging, and the country’s rapidly expanding extractive economy.
At an international forum on Monday, Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, urged the global community to treat standing forests as economic assets rather than environmental obligations, arguing that countries protecting forests must receive meaningful financial returns.
She was addressing an event hosted by Brazil’s COP30 Presidency in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, United Nations Development Programme, and United Nations Environment Programme.
“Agriculture, mining, and land conversion generate immediate economic returns,” Rodrigues-Birkett told the forum. “Meanwhile, the global climate services and ecosystem services provided by standing forests remain undervalued and underfinanced.”
“This imbalance is one of the biggest barriers to achieving the 2030 goal of halting and reversing forest loss and, consequently, the goals of the Paris Agreement,” she added.
However, while Guyana continues to market itself internationally as a “high forest, low deforestation” country, international monitoring organisations report that forest loss remains a serious and ongoing issue.
According to Global Forest Watch, Guyana experienced significant tree cover loss between 2001 and 2024, much of it linked to mining, logging, infrastructure expansion, agriculture, and fires.
Environmental groups have also warned that expanding extractive industries, large-scale road construction, mining concessions, and oil-driven economic expansion could intensify pressure on Guyana’s forests in the coming years.
Those concerns have intensified as the PPP administration aggressively pursues major infrastructure projects, expanded mining operations, new highways, oil and gas development, and large-scale land conversion initiatives, while simultaneously positioning Guyana internationally as a champion of forest preservation and climate stewardship.
The government has repeatedly promoted its Low Carbon Development Strategy 2030 (LCDS 2030) as proof that economic development and forest conservation can coexist.
“When we launched our Low Carbon Development Strategy in 2008, the idea that a forest country could build development around valuing ecosystem services was widely viewed as experimental,” Rodrigues-Birkett stated.
She said the strategy is now generating measurable returns, noting that Guyana became the first country to issue jurisdictional carbon credits under the ART TREES standard, with those credits now eligible under the international aviation carbon compliance market known as CORSIA.
According to the ambassador, Guyana has secured transactions approaching US$1 billion by 2030 and has already received approximately US$400 million in revenues.
“To date, Guyana has secured transactions approaching $1 billion by 2030, and has already received about $400 million in revenues. These revenues are invested into national priorities identified through consultation under our LCDS,” she said.
The revenues are supporting drainage and water management projects intended to open approximately 100,000 hectares of non-forested land for economic activity, while also supporting food security initiatives.
Rodrigues-Birkett also highlighted transfers to indigenous communities, noting that while at least 15 per cent of revenues are guaranteed for indigenous villages, more than 25 per cent has already been distributed to support over 3,000 community-designed projects.
“We believe people must see tangible benefits, and countries must have confidence that long-term sustainable forest stewardship is economically viable,” she stated.
Yet observers continue to question whether the government’s international climate messaging is increasingly at odds with domestic realities.
Concerns persist that while Guyana earns international praise and carbon revenues for maintaining forest cover, the administration continues approving activities that contribute to deforestation and environmental degradation, particularly in the mining and infrastructure sectors.
Critics also argue that the government’s development model reflects a contradiction: on one hand presenting Guyana as a global climate leader deserving compensation for preserving forests, while on the other accelerating industrial expansion projects that place increasing pressure on those same forests.
Guyana also used the forum to call for stronger international backing for forest financing systems, including jurisdictional REDD+ carbon markets and the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF).
Rodrigues-Birkett warned against undermining emerging carbon markets at a time when many systems are only now becoming operational after years of international negotiations.
“The two mechanisms are complementary, not competing. Jurisdictional REDD+ links finance to measure climate outcomes, while the TFFF seeks to create long-term value for standing forests,” she said.
The ambassador further noted that Guyana remains committed to working with Brazil, the COP30 Presidency, and international partners on advancing forest financing initiatives.
The event was held on the sidelines of the United Nations Forum on Forests.
