Iwokrama marks 30th anniversary since gifted
By Tangerine Clarke
Commemorating, its
30thAnniversary, since offering
a gift of a million acres of rainforest,
put forward to the Commonwealth
by the Government
of Guyana, and commonwealth
partnership, commissioned by
late President of Guyana, Desmond
Hoyte in 1989, the Iwokrama
International Centre for
Rain Forest Conservation and
Development in Guyana, continues
to be at the forefront of
conservation.
This is according to, Georgetown
born, Dr. Raquel Thomas
Caesar, scientist, tropical
forest ecologist, and director,
who gave a dynamic, informative
talk at the Guyana Consulate
on Thursday, Dec. 5, thanks
to Consul General of Guyana,
Barbara Atherly, and staff who
welcomed a wide-cross-section
of the Guyanese community.
Dr. Thomas-Caesar, who is
responsible for the Iwokrama’s
monitoring system, research
and science and training, along
with contributions to community
relations and business
development, inclusive of forestry
and tourism, said when
you think about a small country
like Guyana, it precedes the
1992, big Rio, Brazil, Environment
Caribbean L 22 ife, December 13-19, 2019
conference, “so Guyana
was always in the forefront
of conservation, and it is significant
that we are still here
surviving, despite all the challenges.”
Giving credit to all successive
governments, whom she said,
had supported Iwokrama, late
President Cheddi Jagan signed
the Memorandum of Understanding
in 1995 with the Commonwealth
to pass the Iwokrama
Act, which officially established
An audience of Guyanese and friends, (Consul General, Barbara Atherly front right) listen
with rapt attention to Dr. Raquel Thomas-Caesar’s, dynamic presentation on Iwokrama
International Center for Rainforest Conservation, and tourism in Guyana.
Photo by Tangerine Clarke
ithe Centre in 1996.
Also chair of Board of the
Protected Areas Commission
(PAC), which oversees the Protected
Areas Systems, Dr. Thomas
Caesar works diligently
with a team to maintain that
system, which includes Kaiteur
National Park, where the world’s
largest single drop waterfall is
located.
She said that Shell Beach,
the Kanuku Mountains, the
Kanashen Amerindian Community
Protected Area owned
by the Wai-Wai community of
Masakanari, all fall under the
system and are guided by the
Protected Areas Act of 2011.
Iwokrama, while part of the
Protected Areas system, is governed
independently by a board
of trustees, due to its international
status.
The PAC also manages the
Urban Parks of Region 3 & 4,
which are the Joe Viera Park,
Botanical Gardens, Guyana Zoo
and the National Park.
“I want to encourage Guyanese,
when they vacation at
home, do not stay only on the
coast, come into the interior of
the country. Even Guyanese at
home don’t venture out into the
beauty of the country’s hinterland
areas,” said Dr. Thomas-
Caesar. She assured Guyanese
that by using public transportation,
an eight-hour ride, lower
accommodation at Iwokrama, if
on a budget, instead of a cabin,
they have an amazing opportunity
to enjoy the beauty of the
homeland.
Dr. Raquel Thomas-Caesar,
director of Iwokrama during
a talk on conservation and
tourism, at the Guyana Consulate,
NY.
Photo by Tangerine Clarke
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