Guyana, Belize not begging – Pres Ali pushes market value for biodiversity

Guyana’s President Dr Irfaan Ali speaking during a special sitting of the Parliament of Belize on Monday highlighted that Guyana and Belize are vulnerable to the effects of climate change but emphasised the valuable assets they possess in the area of biodiversity.

“Climate change represents the most serious and immediate existential challenge facing small States including Belize and Guyana. Rising sea levels, increasingly intense storms, prolonged droughts and coastal erosion threaten lives, livelihoods and long-term development,” he informed the Belize Parliament.
Ali, who is on a three-day State visit, spoke in the National Assembly which was also addressed by Belizean Prime Minister John Antonio Briceño. He reminded that “our two countries possess some of the most diverse and valuable ecosystems in the Caribbean, encompassing vast tracts of tropical forests, extensive freshwater resources and extraordinary biodiversity that place us among the world’s most environmentally significant small states.”
In this regard, he said the two countries are determined to be part of the solution.
“The solution is not begging bowl for handout or for charity or for sympathy. The problem is real and we have real assets and so the solution must be market based and we must let the world understand that what we possess, this natural asset, is part of an ecosystem that supports life and livelihood of this earth and the valuation and value must come to our people,” President Ali posited.
He explained that the territories of Guyana and Belize include critical habitats that support unique flora and fauna, provide essential ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and climate regulation and sustain livelihoods through agriculture, forestry, fisheries and ecotourism – emphasising that these natural endowments carry global responsibilities.
“Belize and Guyana serve as careful custodians of environmental heritage whose preservation is vital not only to our national development but also to regional and global ecological balance. And that is why we have a joint responsibility to monetise this most important global asset and the world in turn has a responsibility to ensure that economic value of these assets are passed on to the peoples of our countries,” President Ali posited. President Ali is currently on a three day state visit to Belize.