President Irfaan Ali says Guyana wants the upcoming Global Biodiversity Alliance summit to advance a common approach to valuing and financing nature conservation.

The October 30–31 meeting at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre in Georgetown is expected to bring together countries, researchers, investors, policymakers and industry representatives to discuss the scientific evidence, financial models and standards needed to support conservation.

Speaking on the Starting Point podcast, Ali said one of the main challenges is getting different stakeholders to agree on a common system.

“This is really Guyana positioning itself to be a facilitator of a global action. Of a global thinking and a global formula,” he said.

The summit builds on the alliance's launch in July 2025, when participants endorsed the Georgetown Declaration. The declaration called for greater conservation financing and identified possible mechanisms, including biodiversity credits, green bonds, debt-for-nature swaps and payments for ecosystem services.

The upcoming discussions are expected to build on that commitment by examining how nature can be valued and conservation financed in practice.

Ali argued that countries often face pressure to create jobs and expand economic opportunities, while receiving insufficient financial incentives to protect their natural resources.

He said biodiversity supports pharmaceutical research, Indigenous livelihoods and cultures, as well as essential ecological services, but its value is not adequately reflected in the financial rewards for conservation.

Ali also stressed the importance of involving forestry and mining interests alongside conservation groups, scientists and investors, arguing that the approach must account for both environmental protection and economic development.

He distinguished the alliance's international focus from Guyana's Low Carbon Development Strategy, which provides a framework for the country's own development.

Ali maintained that conservation must not come at the expense of people's development aspirations.