GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The Government of Guyana on Thursday signed a landmark Letter of Intent (LOI) with Silvania, a global natural capital investment platform, to pioneer new approaches to valuing and financing biodiversity.
The agreement, signed at the Global Biodiversity Alliance Summit here, brings together government, Indigenous Peoples, biodiversity experts, and the private sector to chart new pathways for ecosystem protection. The agreement builds on Guyana’s leadership in climate and forest finance.
Since launching the world’s first Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) in 2009, Guyana has received significant results-based payments for forest climate services, including through a formative partnership with Norway that was followed by the world’s first issuance of jurisdictional REDD+ carbon credits under the ART-TREES standard, which have been sold to companies such as Apple, Hess Corporation, and 16 global airlines.
Under President Irfaan Ali’s expanded LCDS 2030, Guyana aims to go beyond forest carbon alone to recognise and value ecosystem services—especially biodiversity and freshwater services. The LOI with Silvania is a key step in advancing that vision.
Silvania, a multi-million-dollar nature and biodiversity investment platform launched by Mercuria and its co-founders, combines private capital, technical expertise, and partnerships to invest in nature-based solutions.
The company operates across Latin America, Africa, Europe, and Asia, with a focus on ecosystem restoration and measurable environmental and social impact. Through the LOI, Guyana and Silvania have agreed to work together on several priorities.
These include exploring methodologies to quantify and value biodiversity, building on frameworks like ART-TREES, collaborating to design and pilot biodiversity-linked finance instruments, and sharing knowledge and results globally through the Global Biodiversity Alliance.
“Guyana has demonstrated that forest countries can lead the way in designing new economic models that reward nature preservation. This partnership with Silvania builds on our forest carbon leadership and marks the next step in our national strategy – properly valuing biodiversity and unlocking the financing needed to protect it,” said Kemraj Parsram, Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency.
“Guyana is setting a global benchmark for ambition and integrity in nature finance. We are honoured to partner with the EPA to build scalable, inclusive solutions that respect local knowledge, empower communities, and deliver meaningful impact for biodiversity,” said James Cooper, Head of Origination of Silvania.
According to Curtis Bernard, Vice President of Conservation International Guyana, “At Conservation International, we’ve worked with Guyana for over 30 years to help align economic development with the protection of nature. We’re proud to support this new partnership between Guyana and Silvania. Guyana’s biodiversity and the country’s bold actions to demonstrate a new model of development are globally important. Partnerships like this one, which are rooted in science, local knowledge, and shared ambition, are how we protect nature at scale.”
The agreement is grounded in shared principles, including full respect for national sovereignty, the free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, transparency, and environmental integrity.
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