Guyana’s forest preservation, climate adaptation measures a ‘success story’ – Former Norwegian minister

****
“No nation in the entire world has protected its rainforest as fantastic as Guyana. This greatness does not come by itself, it comes by hard work by the Government of Guyana and all the leaders here, most of them from indigenous groups,” former minister said. 
***

Guyana has once again come in for high praise for its pristine forest coverage and dedication to advancing global climate adaptation and mitigation efforts. 

During his visit to several Amerindian communities on Monday, International Environmental Advisor, Former Minister of Climate and the Environment and Former Minister of International Affairs of Norway, Erik Solheim, commended the country’s vast forested landscape and socioeconomic systems.

“No nation in the entire world has protected its rainforest as fantastic as Guyana. This greatness does not come by itself, it comes by hard work by the Government of Guyana and all the leaders here, most of them from indigenous groups,” the former minister said.

In November 2009, a groundbreaking Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between former President Bharrat Jagdeo and Norway’s former Minister of the Environment and International Development, Erik Solheim.

This agreement marked the first international partnership of its kind, with Norway pledging up to $250 million by 2015 to support Guyana’s efforts to reduce deforestation.

The funding represented a significant milestone for Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy.

Since then, Guyana has earned US $212.6 million dollars from the Kingdom of Norway.

The revenues were invested in renewable energy, protection against climate change, land titling for Amerindians and job creation initiatives and integrating information communications technology (ICT) systems in the hinterland.

Fifteen years later, the former minister said he is impressed at the level of development that has transformed the country’s landscape, while simultaneously ensuring that forest preservation remains a key priority.

“…people cannot encroach upon the forest… There must be livelihoods.  And the money has been used to make community centres where people can come together, discuss… there is water management, and there is a lot of ecotourism bringing in people who can bring some money and some jobs to this part of Guyana,” he lauded.

He asserted that this is a shining success story that the rest of the world can learn from.

Meanwhile, Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to enhancing the livelihoods of the indigenous people, through climate-smart initiatives.

“Today, all of our hinterland communities, we have communication to the coast, we have Wi-Fi, we are building the new hubs now, which will have even more or improved bandwidth so that the people in the hinterland can benefit from the GOAL scholarships and all the other programs that the government is doing too,” he said.

In 2022, Guyana established a carbon credit agreement with Hess Corporation, valued at a minimum of $750 million between 2022 and 2032.

To ensure equitable distribution of benefits, the government mandated that Amerindians receive 15% of the total revenue.

This policy resulted in Amerindians receiving $4.7 billion in 2023, when Guyana earned $150 million.

To maintain a fair allocation despite increased revenue in 2024, the government announced a revised share of 26.5% for Amerindians, amounting to $23.2 million.

“It could be spent on some small economic projects that will actually generate revenue for the community and create some amount of employment as well too so we trust that the community will come together and you will decide on good projects that can bring those kind of benefits to your village and your people,” the minister encouraged.