“As mayor I am here to build bridges, not walls, and to protect our environment. Georgetown is known as the Garden City of the Caribbean, and our residents deeply value our city’s trees and forests. As the capital of one of the world’s most forested nations, we benefit greatly from this rich natural resource. We depend on our forests, and we need governments around the world to do more to protect our irreplaceable rainforests.”
—His Worship Pandit Ubraj Narine, Mayor of the City of Georgetown, Guyana
Success Story
At over 87 percent forest cover, Guyana is one of the most heavily forested countries in South America. As part of the Guyana Shield, its forests aid in regulating rainfall across the entire Amazon basin. Its rainforests are a critical conservation area to mitigate global climate change. Today, Georgetown has succeeded in enhancing urban forests and green space, protecting and restoring forests near the city and supporting tropical forest conservation through the purchase of sustainable forest products.
Guyana has emerged as a pioneer in green economic policymaking. The country has taken the lead on important issues like climate change and is at the forefront of green creation through its Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) agreement with the Government of Norway. In 2009, the governments of Guyana and Norway established Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), which aims to transform Guyana’s economy on to a low carbon, sustainable development trajectory while simultaneously combating climate change.
