“You are already world leaders” – visiting English Lord on Guyana’s conservation model

…says Guyana has much to teach the world

Guyana’s conservation model, which has seen the above average conservation of more than 18 million hectares of forests, has been praised by British Lord Zac Goldsmith, during his official visit to Guyana.

During his visit to Annai, Region Nine, Goldsmith noted that Guyana has much to teach the world about conserving its natural assets… including the United Kingdom (UK), where he serves as Minister of State for Overseas Territories, Commonwealth, Energy, Climate and Environment.
“If we’re going to solve the issue of climate change, yes, we need technology, we need energy, we need clean transport. We need all those things. But we can never solve climate change if we don’t repair our relationship with the natural world.”
“And that is why what you, here, in this community, but also in Guyana generally, its why what you’re doing is so important. You’re world leaders. You’ve protected your nature in a way that most countries, including my own, have not,” Goldsmith said.
During his visit to Annai, Lord Goldsmith was accompanied by Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat and British High Commissioner to Guyana Jane Miller. Lord Goldsmith had said that the primary aim of his visit was to seek ways in which they can strengthen the relationship between Guyana and the UK.
Lord Goldsmith also did a recent handover of Information Technology (IT) equipment at the Guyana Forestry Commission, which will support the commission’s work as required under the European Union – Guyana Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade/Voluntary Partnership Agreement (FLEGT/VPA).
“You don’t need us to succeed, I can see that… But if we can help in any way… we are at your service and we are here to partner up as much as possible. You are already world leaders; you have unlocked the secret of protecting nature while at the same time taking care of the interest of the people who depend most directly on that nature,” the Minister of State had said during the handover.
Only recently, Guyana became the first country to implement the MAXAR Technologies Crow’s Nest technology in Latin America and the Caribbean. A three-year deal was signed that will provide Guyana with satellite capabilities to monitor oil and gas vessels operating offshore and logging activities – an arrangement that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says will help make Guyana a regional leader in environmental monitoring.
The use of more technology in its regulatory duties had been among EPA’s specific goals for the year, as well as supporting Guyana’s low carbon development trajectory, improving enforcement, incorporating the use of more technology and effective implementation of the various multilateral environmental agreements Guyana is a signatory to.
Last year, Guyana signed a historic, multi-year US$750 million agreement with Hess Corporation for the purchase of 37.5 million carbon credits. Guyana is, in fact, the first country to conclude the Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART) process of certifying its forest carbon.
These serialised credits, listed on ART’s public registry, are available to buyers on the global carbon market, including for use by airlines for compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s global emission reduction programme, CORSIA, as well as for use toward voluntary corporate climate commitments.
Guyana’s completion of the ART process paved the way for other governments that are looking to receive carbon market finance for success in protecting and restoring forests. At the time Guyana was issued with the credits, 14 other countries and large sub-national jurisdictions are working toward their own issuances of TREES credits.
ART, which is in charge of certifying forest carbon credits so that they can be sold on the international market, had announced its approval in January of Guyana’s registration for 2021 to 2025, as well as the monitoring report for Guyana’s forests.
In a statement, ART noted that it approved these two documents for Guyana and that they are now available for stakeholder comments which must be submitted within 30 days. The first document is a TREES (The REDD+ Environmental Excellence Standard) registration document for 2021 to 2025, while the second is a TREES monitoring report for 2021.
ART’s approval of Guyana’s 2021-2025 registration document and monitoring report are important follow ups on its approval last year of 33.47 million forest carbon credits for Guyana, dating from 2016-2020. These credits were verified by a third party against ART’s robust environmental and social requirements. (G3)