investments

iwokrama

In March 2008, Canopy Capital entered into a partnership with the Iwokrama International Centre (IIC)in Guyana to measure and place a financial value on the Ecosystem Services (ESS) of Iwokrama’s tropical forest. This is the first ever deal to put a market value on the services provided by a rainforest, which include rainfall production, water storage, and weather moderation – utilities with global significance which are vanishing as forests fall.

The deal does not give Canopy Capital any rights over the land and trees of Iwokrama. The company is simply buying a licence to market its Ecosystem Services for 5 years, through a guaranteed yearly payment to Iwokrama.

This money will be used to continue the sustainable management and conservation of the Iwokrama Reserve and to provide livelihoods for the local communities who have depended on the Iwokrama forest for generations. In the longer term, 90% of investment upside will go to Iwokrama.

factsheets:

Frequently Asked Questions - PDF

Iwokrama, The Green Heart of Guyana - PDF

Facts about the Iwokrama International Centre - PDF

images:

Photographs from Iwokrama

HRH Prince of Wales speaks about the importance of the world's rainforests and the work of Iwokrama, 03:57

useful links:

Iwokrama - International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development managing one million acres of Iwokrama's pristine forest in central Guyana.