Dear Editor,
A few days ago Mr. Gouveia and Mr Brian James were discussing tourism and how Iwokrama fits into this. The press also reported Iwokrama signing a co-management agreement with a neighbouring community.
The question which comes to mind is when will the Iwokrama model be realized?
Iwokrama has been in existence for over ten years and to date I am certain that the revenues generated cover below 50% of their cost. Iwokrama has spent significant donor money and our own taxpayers’ money, in my estimation in excess of US $50M over its life so far and yet it is not financially sustainable.
Iwokrama gets into everything except real, viable economic, financial and sustainable activities. Well over a year ago, the press reported Iwokrama and DTL inking a timber harvesting agreement, why to date has a single tree not been cut? Why does Iwokrama in all its financial difficulties continue to pay high salaries to employees, employ high priced consultants and get involved in a host of non-economic activities? All of Iwokrama’s business plans are on paper but hardly anything gets implemented.
Iwokrama needs a fresh influx of business oriented managers, who know how to manage a forestry operation to gain economic benefits while at the same time maintaining its conservation objectives. These small activities here and there will never make Iwokrama sustainable.
I read with great interest the failure to implement their business proposal of some of our foreign investors in the forestry sector. The same set of writers and commentators need to be fair in their judgment and scrutinise Iwokrama in like manner.
Yours faithfully,
Preamnarine Karan
Editor’s note
We are sending a copy of this letter to Mr Edward Glover the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Iwokrama, for any comments he may wish to make.
