In a groundbreaking effort, the Guyanese government recently announced the $8.5 million Conservation Trust Fund, which will bolster and continue conservation initiatives in the country's protected areas system (PAS). The trust was made possible with $5 million in financial support from the German government's development bank KfW and $3.5 million from Conservation International's (CI) Global Conservation Fund, which was bolstered by a grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

Using the funds from the grant, Guyana will be able to better protect its natural lands, which are still largely intact, according to Dr. Russell Mittermeier, who is the president of Conservation International. Mittermeier explains that Guyana is one of the few remaining places where the nation's capital is tied to its natural land, and this ecosystem could become an example of a green economy for other countries in the global move toward greater sustainability.

"Guyana is globally recognized for its unique biodiversity and for having one of the lowest deforestation rates in the developing world," Honorable Robert M. Persaud, Guyana's Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment. "We have recently made significant strides in establishing a national protected areas system as a tool to conserve this natural heritage, while at the same time contributing to our sustainable development."

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