President Granger’s announcement that two million hectares of Guyana’s forest will be placed under conservation as Guyana’s contribution to combatting climate change and global warming, is a most welcome development. This pledge was made at the recent meeting of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework on Combatting Climate Change (UNFCC) held in New York. 
Guyana is the second largest country in the world in terms of forest cover which stands at 85%. In 1989, the Hoyte Administration had made available to the International Community some 371,000 hectares for research into “methods and techniques for the sustainable management and utilization of the multiple resources of the tropical forest and the conservation of biodiversity.” This was according to Major General (Ret’d) Joe Singh who had also stated that the decision set in place the strategy for sustainable development to show how tropical forests can be conserved and sustainably used for ecological, social and economic benefits to local, national and international communities. However, it wasn’t until 1996 that the Iwokrama International Centre was established.
There was a recent article in the Zimbabwe Financial Gazette headlined “Zimbabwe: Panic In Government As Chinese Loot Economy”, in which it was reported that Chinese nationals were mopping up hard currency from the economy and depositing it in off-shore banks, thereby creating a cash crisis and panic in government. The newspaper cited a Chinese mining company which had “externalized” US$546 million through an offshore transaction. Although the matter was reported to the police, nothing happened. Bankers in Zimbabwe believed this to be a tip of an iceberg.
Additionally, the newspaper highlighted a bank executive having stated that Chinese in Zimbabwe were seen with