Iwokrama re-measures 18 research plots for monitoring forest impacts

Iwokrama completed the re-census of 18 Permanent Sample Plots (PSPs) in the Iwokrama Forest, forming part of Iwokrama’s Science Programme whereby various forestry research projects are conducted annually.
This re-measurement exercise was made possible with the support of the Exxon Mobil Foundation.
PSPs are permanently demarcated areas of forest, typically of one hectare, which are periodically re-measured, a statement by the Iwokrama International Centre (IIC) explained.
These plots provide knowledge on forest changes under different situations, such as climate change, and inform carbon storage capacity.
When established in areas that are to be harvested, they offer further information on the impacts of harvesting on the forest and on biodiversity recovery rates.
“Forest management then, can be based on this knowledge and be continuously adapted to new information. This monitoring system is especially important for Iwokrama’s internationally certified timber operation,” the statement read.
The PSP system dictates that plots are located in areas with planned logging and in reserve areas where no logging is done; and that plots consist of one hectare, 100m-by-100m square plots divided into 20m-by-20m quadrats, where all trees larger than 20cm in diameter are measured.

Smaller trees of the pole, sapling and seedling categories are measured in the subplots of the main plots.
Furthermore, plot location also gives priority to the forest types that are suitable for commercial harvesting.
Plot establishment began in 2002 with two being set up and continued in 2008, until the last set of four plots were established in 2018.
Since its creation in 1996, the IIC manages the unique reserve of 371,000 hectares of rainforest that forms the Iwokrama Forest, with an overall goal of building lasting ecological, economic and social benefits.
The IIC collaborates with the Government, the Commonwealth and other international partners and donors to develop new approaches and forest management models to enable countries with rainforests to market their ecosystem services whilst carefully managing their resources through innovative and creative conservation practices.
The Centre has received support over the recent years from partners like ExxonMobil Guyana, which funded the development of the Science Programme and annually contributes to the enactment of its duties.
In 2020, the IIC received $50 million from ExxonMobil Guyana for the implementation of a five-year science strategy that also aimed to fund key investments to help protect Guyana’s tropical forests.
Prior to that, since 2017, it had offered the Iwokrama Science Programme more than $180 million to support its initiatives. (G13)