The Forest

The Iwokrama Forest is nearly one million acres (371,000 hectares) of central Guyana in northeastern South America. It is located in the heart of the Guiana Shield, one of the four last pristine tropical forests in the world, (Congo, Papua New Guinea, and Amazonia are the other areas.) and represents an important transition zone in rainfall, landforms, human histories and biological communities.

The Forest is bordered to the west by the Pakaraima Mountain range that extends through western Guyana and eastern Venezuela and to the east by the isolated highlands scattered through central-east Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. It is also bordered by savannahs in the southwest and northeast of Guyana and southwestern Suriname.

The area is covered with lush, lowland tropical forest, and dominated by tall tropical trees with a dense canopy 20-30 metres (66-98 ft.) high.

Tropical forests are disappearing rapidly. Their loss will cause the extinction of half the planet's animal and plant species and unknown changes to global climate. The Iwokrama Forest was established as a living laboratory for sustainable tropical forest management.

"Iwokrama"?

At 1000 metres (3,281 ft.) high, the Iwokrama Mountains form the geographic focal point of the Forest; they once provided a "place of refuge" for the Makushi people. The Centre and Forest are named after this striking formation, now a refuge for people and wildlife...

and an extraordinary mission.

Map by Anil Roberts