The Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development is celebrating 30 years since the Iwokrama Act came into effect, providing the legal mandate for the establishment of the centre to oversee and manage Guyana’s one million acres of rainforest. Director for Resource Management and Training, Dr Raquel Thomas, marked the milestone in a video message posted on the centre’s social media platforms on Monday, reflecting on the significance of the legislation and Iwokrama’s journey over the past three decades.

“This is a very historic year, 30 years… In 1996, Dr Cheddi Jagan, who was the President at the time, passed the Iwokrama Act, which gave us the mandate to create the Centre, the Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development, to oversee and manage this million acres of five-star rainforest,” Dr Thomas said. “In 2019 we celebrated 30 years, [but]… in 2019 we were celebrating 30 years since the offer was made to the Commonwealth by then President Hoyte to have this space of a million acres of beautiful rainforest available for research and development.” Having served at Iwokrama for more than two decades, Dr Thomas reflected on the centre’s growth and the people who have contributed to its success. “I’ve been here for over two decades. I’ve watched the growth of Iwokrama, and I’m very happy to be part of this programme. Especially one of the best things about working here at Iwokrama is the people I work with, my teammates, but also our partners,” she said. Thomas is one of Guyana’s known tropical forest ecologists and has spent more than 20 years in leadership at Iwokrama. As Director for Resource Management and Training, she oversees research, sustainable forest management, conservation programmes, training and partnerships with Indigenous communities in and around the Iwokrama Forest.

Her work focuses on sustainable forestry, biodiversity conservation, climate change, protected area management, nature-based tourism, community-based conservation, forest certification, and sustainable forest enterprises. Established in 1996 through a partnership between the Government of Guyana and the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Iwokrama International Centre manages 371,000 hectares of tropical rainforest dedicated to demonstrating how conservation and sustainable development can be successfully integrated. The Centre promotes the conservation and sustainable, equitable use of tropical rainforests to generate lasting ecological, economic and social benefits for the people of Guyana and the wider world through research, training and the development and dissemination of innovative technologies. Operating under the patronage of His Majesty King Charles III, Iwokrama is governed by an International Board of Trustees and maintains operations in Georgetown and at its River Lodge in Kurupukari. The Centre serves as a living laboratory for sustainable development, showcasing how biodiversity conservation and economic development can coexist while advancing ecosystem services and providing a model for tropical forest management globally.