What is the first thing that you think of if you hear the words “tropical forest conservation”? You wouldn’t be alone in imagining an untouched, fenced-off expanse of land, but today we’re going to discuss how it is possible to sustainably use a forest in a way that benefits both forest and people through sustainable forestry techniques. We’re going to visit the very special place that is Iwokrama, a protected area comprising 371,000 hectares of forest in the middle of Guyana, South America.

I’m Iona Cunningham-Eurich, a recent biology graduate and conservation-enthusiast who has had the opportunity to visit Iwokrama on three separate occasions to perform biological monitoring surveys. During my time there, I was able to learn about its unique management strategies, and I wanted to share its story. 

Guyana is a small country in the North-East of South America, situated between Venezuela, Brazil and Suriname, with a tiny population of about 750,000 people. It is one of the most forested countries in the world (over 82% pristine rainforest), and possesses a total of 5 protected areas, including Iwokrama, Kaieteur National Park (one of the oldest protected areas in South America known for its spectacular waterfall), and the indigenous-owned Kanashen Protected Area.

In this episode of Earth to Humans, I first speak to Dr. Raquel Thomas-Caesar, a tropical forest ecologist and the Director of Resource Management and Training at Iwokrama. She tells me about the importance of ensuring that local communities are incorporated into all aspects of forest management, as well as the different businesses that Iwokrama runs in its aim of self sufficiency, including sustainable forestry and ecotourism (although we primarily discuss the forestry business in this podcast).

I then talk to Dr. Jake Bicknell, a conservation scientist at DICE (Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology) at the University of Kent whose research focuses on degraded tropical forests, including in Guyana. We discuss in further detail the impact of sustainable forestry (Reduced Impact Logging) techniques on forest ecosystems, as well as the potential effects of hunting and mining in those areas. 

Contact: if you are interested in learning more about Iwokrama, its forestry business or its tourism business, you can find out more by checking out the following resources:

Iwokrama website: https://iwokrama.org

Short film about Iwokrama “Green Heart”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upXygwTU0Ow 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IwokramaInternationalCentre/ 

Email Raquel: [email protected] 

Correction: the Kanashen Indigenous Protected Area owned by the Wai Wai people is 625,000 hectares, not 425,000 as stated in this episode.

Music "Green Iver" and "Questing" by Ari de Niro via Creative Commons.

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