Iwokrama at 30 – “A valued asset” in Guyana’s rainforest conservation journey – Minister Benn

The Minister within the Housing Ministry, Vanessa Benn, has highlighted the Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development as a valued asset to national and international initiatives as the organisation commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Iwokrama Act. In a video message shared on Iwokrama’s Facebook page as part of the anniversary celebrations, Minister Benn reflected on some of the centre’s major achievements over the past three decades while congratulating the organisation on its milestone.
“Iwokrama’s work has earned the reputation of being a valued asset to national and international initiatives. I have had the privilege and pure joy of being part of the Iwokrama team for over 15 years,” she said. Congratulating the organisation on the anniversary, the Minister added, “Congratulations, Team Iwokrama, on your 30th anniversary. Continue to be an exemplar of sound, sustainable forest management and community partnerships for national and global benefit. Cheers.” Benn highlighted several landmark initiatives undertaken by the Centre. She noted that Iwokrama commissioned the first three-dimensional map of an Indigenous village in Guyana.

“Did you know that Iwokrama commissioned the first three-dimensional map of an Indigenous village in Guyana? That village was Fair View. And the model, drawn to scale, has been a fantastic tool to help the villagers in the management of their natural resources,” she said. The Minister also pointed to Iwokrama’s role in strengthening regional forest research. “Iwokrama served as the Caribbean’s focal point organisation in the establishment of the Forest Research Network project. That project has enabled countries across the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific region to collaborate on joint research projects, looking at the various economic services and ecological services derived from the forest and addressing the issues related to climate change,” she noted.
She further highlighted Iwokrama’s pioneering community-based forest monitoring initiative. “Iwokrama initiated the first community monitoring, reporting and verification project, where over 40 persons, taken from 20 communities across the North Rupununi, were trained on how to monitor and measure land uses and land use changes on their Indigenous lands and their villages, and that the data so collected was incorporated into the national monitoring, reporting and verification system that is managed by the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC)…Now that data is important as part of the basis, actually, of our annual reporting on our forest cover and our rate of deforestation. And based on that as well comes our forest carbon credits,” she said.
Benn also recalled Iwokrama’s international recognition during the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai.
“In 2023 the Commonwealth Secretariat hosted a special event on the sidelines of the Conference of Parties on Climate Change in Dubai, focusing on and featuring Iwokrama and its community partnerships. And we had representatives from the North Rupununi District Development Board and the Makushi Research Unit being featured as part of a video that was launched and showcased at COP28,” she said.
The accompanying Facebook post thanked the Minister for her longstanding service to the organisation, stating, “We extend our heartfelt thanks for her unwavering dedication, commitment, and support. Thank you, Minister Benn, for being an important part of the Iwokrama story.”
In 2026, the Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development is celebrating 30 years since the Iwokrama Act came into effect, providing the legal mandate for the establishment of the Centre to oversee and manage Guyana’s one million acres of rainforest.
Established in 1996 through a partnership between the Government of Guyana and the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Centre manages 371,000 hectares of tropical rainforest dedicated to demonstrating how conservation and sustainable development can be successfully integrated.
Operating under the patronage of His Majesty King Charles III, Iwokrama is governed by an International Board of Trustees and maintains operations in Georgetown and at its River Lodge in Kurupukari.
The Centre promotes the conservation and sustainable, equitable use of tropical rainforests through research, training and the development and dissemination of innovative technologies, while serving as a living laboratory that demonstrates how biodiversity conservation and economic development can coexist for the benefit of Guyana and the wider world.