Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire, Liberal Democrat)

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding his Department has provided to Guyana for rainforest preservation in each of the last three years; what estimate he has made of the acreage of rainforest protected as a result of such funding; and what agreements he has reached with the government of Guyana on such funding in the next five years.

Michael Foster (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for International Development; Worcester, Labour)

The Department for International Development (DFID) has committed to spend approximately £130,000 in the current financial year ending 31 March 2010 to support the implementation of a low carbon growth and rainforest protection strategy in Guyana. In 2008-09, we provided £313,000 towards the development of the prospectus and implementation plan for this strategy. The strategy aims to protect Guyana's 15 million hectares of rainforest. No funds were provided to Guyana for rainforest protection in either of the two previous years. No agreements have yet been reached on funding for rainforest protection in the next five years.

Guyana is also a participant in the World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership Fund (to which the UK has contributed £15 million) and recently submitted its Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation Readiness Plan. DFID officials regularly discuss forest protection with their Guyanese counterparts.