The Iwokrama International Centre (IIC) for Rain Forest Conservation and Development has announced that it has signed an MoU with Sophia Point Rainforest Inc. to collaborate on biodiversity conservation and climate change work.
In a press release, the IIC noted that the MOU, signed June 26, 2025, will allow for the strengthening of scientific research capacity, enhancing education and knowledge sharing, promoting biodiversity conservation and facilitating staff and technical exchange initiatives.
Sophia Point is a UK-registered charity and a Guyanese-registered not-for-profit, established to support rainforest research, education, and community development in Guyana.
“[T]he Centre is especially pleased to have partnered with Sophia Point to promote biodiversity conservation and research in Guyana,” Iwokrama’s CEO, Dane Gobin, noted at the signing.
“Iwokrama has been recognised globally for decades for its science and sustainable conservation practices and is happy to collaborate with research institutions around the country and have existing MoUs with EMC Foundation/Saxacalli Rainforest Centre, GMCS/Imbotero Research Centre and the University of Guyana,” he added.
“This MoU with Sophia Point will help to strengthen this partnership between the institutions, which also lends support to Guyana’s environmental efforts, including the Low Carbon Development Strategy.”
Sophia Point Chair of Trustees and Co-Founder, Nicola Green, stated, “We at Sophia Point are pleased to sign this Memorandum of Understanding with Iwokrama at such a critical time for Guyana. Together, we have a unique opportunity to deepen scientific research, protect our rich biodiversity, and build national capacity in support of Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy.”
The collaboration, according to the release, underscores Iwokrama’s commitment to strengthening collaboration in support of science-based conservation and sustainable development in Guyana.
About the IIC
The IIC was established in 1996 under a joint mandate from the Government of Guyana and the Commonwealth Secretariat to manage the Iwokrama forest, a unique reserve of 371,000 hectares of rainforest.
The Centre, guided by an international Board of Trustees, is unique in providing a dedicated, well-managed and researched forest environment.
The IIC collaborates with the Government of Guyana, 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.
In more recent years, the Centre has received support from corporate partners such as Exxon Mobil (Guyana) Limited, which has funded the development of its Science Programme and continues to provide an annual contribution to the implementation of this programme.
Iwokrama brings together 20 local communities who are shareholders and participants in the IIC’s sustainable activities; scientists and researchers engaged in ground-breaking research into the impacts of climate change on the forest and measuring the scope and value of its ecosystem services; and a portfolio of sustainably managed and certified business models using innovative governance systems, which include participation of the private and public sectors and the local communities.
Sophia Point
Situated on the lower Essequibo River, Sophia Point works in close partnership with the University of Guyana, providing an accessible and affordable permanent research station for Guyanese students and researchers to undertake vital field-based learning.
Completed in May 2024, the new state-of-the-art research and education centre serves as a hub for scientific inquiry, training, and collaboration.
Sophia Point plays an active role in advancing Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy by supporting biodiversity research and monitoring, as well as the protection of its unique and biodiverse rainforest ecosystems.
It also works in close partnership with the neighbouring Amerindian village of Rivers View to support the delivery of its Sustainable Village Plan.
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