The Director General of the Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development (IICRCD), Dr David Singh has resigned his position as head of the organization with effect from the end of this month.
It is expected, however, that Singh would continue to give support to the IICRCD.
Singh, who has ten years experience working in environmental management and pollution monitoring in Guyana, joined Iwokrama in 2003 as an advisor and took over the director generalship the following year after the former Director General, Dr Graham Watkins resigned.
Singh has a PhD in Chemistry from Temple University, Philadelphia, USA and a BSc in Applied Chemistry from the University of Guyana. He has also taught chemistry in the USA and Guyana.
The IICRCD manages one million acres of forests in Iwokrama bordering Regions Eight (Potaro/Siparuni) and Nine (Upper Essequibo/ Upper Takutu) to demonstrate how tropical forests can be conserved and sustainably used to provide ecological, social and economic benefits to local, national and international communities.
Iwokrama has been at the forefront of research and development into best practices for sustainable forest management over the past decade in Guyana and in the international community but its development has also been stymied by a lack of adequate funding.
At the just-concluded Commonwealth Finance Ministers Meeting (CFMM) in Georgetown, Minister of Finance Dr Ashni Singh told the media that arising out of discussions held on Iwokrama the ministers acknowledged the work being done there and called for support to strengthen the centre’s financial position to carry out its programme for the fulfilment of its objectives and to ensure that it continues to be a model for sustainable forest management involving local communities.
Chairman of the Iwokrama Board of Directors and Commonwealth Deputy Secretary General, Ransford Smith told Stabroek News that based on the discussions on Iwokrama in relation to climate change at the CFMM more interest would be generated in the project and along with it much needed financing. (Miranda La Rose)
