Guyana hosts Global Biodiversity Alliance conference to secure conservation funding

At the second Global Biodiversity Alliance (GBA) Conference, international partners announced a US$12.5 million pledge to support conservation projects in Guyana. This funding, provided by the Bezos Earth Fund, Andes Amazon Fund, Nia Tero, and Rainforest Trust, aims to protect the Acarai-Corentyne Corridor from mining and other activities through the development of protected areas and Indigenous territories.

Guyana’s Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh, emphasized that biodiversity must be integrated into national economic planning and public investment rather than being treated solely as an environmental responsibility. He urged the international community to value and pay for biodiversity more rapidly than the decades-long process required for forest carbon markets.

International representatives, including officials from the United Nations and the World Bank, praised Guyana’s leadership in establishing the GBA. Discussions focused on using models like Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) to combine public, philanthropic, and market financing to sustain protected areas over long-term periods.