Press Release 10 December 2003

Iwokrama Announces Plans for "Green" Timber Harvesting

Georgetown, Guyana -- Iwokrama International Centre has announced today that timber harvesting in the Iwokrama Forest is likely to begin within 18 months. In keeping with its mission, Iwokrama is developing a sustainable timber harvesting operation in the Iwokrama Forest, as a preliminary to Guyana Forestry Commission approval of the Iwokrama Forest Management Plan.

Iwokrama's mission is to show how to both conserve and sustainably use tropical rain forests and to demonstrate this through the effective management of the Iwokrama Forest.

The environmental impact assessment (EIA) as required by the Environmental Protection Act has begun. According to reports coming out of the Centre, "the EIA is viewed as a continuation of participatory processes to ensure that stakeholders are fully involved in the planning of sustainable timber harvesting."

Commenting on this business venture, Acting Director General, Dr. Graham Watkins said "It is difficult to find ways to manage tropical forests to meet commercial, local community, and the forest's needs, but the major lesson learned is that success rests on the ownership and commitment of local people and the development of partnerships that combine the skills of specialists and local communities." He added, "In this context, the Centre has fully engaged with local communities and national agencies to enhance our collective capacity to manage the Iwokrama Forest. Noting that the Centre has been building these partnerships knowing that business as usual - the quick money approach - is an illusion of success that will not serve local people, the country or the forests of the world in the long term."

Iwokrama has successfully built the basis for the effective collaborative management of the Iwokrama Forest involving local communities, private sector, public sector, and non-government organizations. These partnerships are the basis for both sustainable forest-based business development and human development.

The product focus for the Iwokrama timber business will be green and socially responsible niche markets. The objective of the Iwokrama timber programme will be to produce high value products branded with the Iwokrama name indicating social, cultural, ecological and economic sustainability. The timber business will be based on detailed research on the forest resource including strategic and forest inventories, marketing and feasibility studies, and a series of consultations with possible business partners and local communities.

The International Tropical Timber Organization, through the Government of Guyana, has funded the majority of the work to date to develop a sustainable timber harvesting operation in the Iwokrama Forest.