Guyana, part of the Guiana Shield, is rich in natural resources but faces environmental challenges including climate change, mining, and deforestation.

• Climate change: Guyana is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including flooding, particularly in areas along the Low Coastal Plain, which lies below sea level and where the majority of the country's population resides. Flooding leads to significant socio-economic impacts, including agricultural losses, disruption to education, increased risk of vector-borne diseases (such as malaria and filaria), and damage to infrastructure. Periodic drought conditions, particularly in interior regions, reduce crop yields and water availability and lead to negative socio-economic impacts on community livelihoods and school attendance.
• Biodiversity: Guyana is part of the Guiana Shield and the Amazon Biome, with rich biodiversity and a high proportion of its total land area covered by forests, which act as a carbon sink. Key threats to biodiversity include deforestation from extractive industries such as mining and logging, agricultural expansion, wildfires, and poaching.
• Mining impacts: Gold mining is a leading cause of deforestation, and improper practices can contribute to mercury pollution and degradation of water bodies, affecting communities and ecosystems.
• Energy dependence: Electricity generation remains highly dependent on fossil fuels. There is significant potential for renewable energy (hydropower, solar, biomass), with efforts ongoing to enhance the contribution of renewable energy sources to meet the country's energy demands.

• Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030 – Guyana's guiding policy framework, which maps national strategies to reflect new global realities, including mandates such as protection against climate change and biodiversity loss, and alignment with global climate and biodiversity goals. GEF SGP will support community-based action that promotes climate adaptation, biodiversity conservation, sustainable livelihoods, and low-carbon development.
• National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) – Outlines how Guyana intends to protect, conserve, and sustainably use its biological resources. GEF SGP may support Indigenous and local communities in community-based forest management, conservation of biodiversity corridors, and sustainable use of non-timber forest products.
• Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC – UNFCCC) – Sets out Guyana's national commitments to address climate change through mitigation and adaptation actions. Opportunities exist to promote decentralized renewable energy (solar mini-grids) in interior and coastal communities, climate-resilient agriculture, and mangrove restoration for coastal protection.
• National Action Programme (NAP – UNCCD) – Guides national actions to combat land degradation and promote sustainable land management. GEF SGP can leverage support for sustainable land management practices, restoration of degraded lands (including mined-out areas), and agroforestry.
• National Implementation Plan (NIP – Stockholm) – Supports the safe management and reduction of persistent organic pollutants and other harmful chemicals. GEF SGP can promote initiatives that integrate pest management in agriculture and the safe management of chemicals and waste.
• National Action Plan for the Minamata Convention on Mercury – Supports community-based actions that advance Guyana's Minamata Convention commitments by improving mercury control, mining compliance, operational safety, drainage systems, and sediment management.

FAO is the implementing agency for the GEF Small Grants Program (SGP) Operational Phase Eight (OP8) to support community-based organizations and civil society in Guyana. The programme supports initiatives aligned with the following:

GEF SGP OP8 priority areas

• Sustainable agriculture, fisheries and food security
• Community-based management of threatened ecosystems and species
• Local to global coalitions for chemicals and waste management
• Catalysing sustainable urban solutions
• Low-carbon energy access co-benefits

Cross-cutting priorities

• Inclusion of women, youth, Indigenous Peoples and communities, and persons with disabilities
• Local innovations and scaling up through partnerships and finance
• Private sector engagement and business-oriented approaches

FAO's support focuses on fostering local innovation, partnerships, and business-oriented solutions while ensuring interventions are gender-responsive and youth-focused. FAO leverages its expertise in sustainable agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and natural resource management to help local communities address global environmental issues while improving livelihoods.

• Community management of threatened ecosystems and species: Supporting Indigenous communities in sustainable forest management, conservation of biodiversity in the Guyana Shield, protection of threatened species and ecosystems, and strengthening governance of natural resources through participatory approaches.
• Sustainable agriculture, fisheries and food security: Promoting climate-resilient agriculture, agroforestry, sustainable fisheries, and improved resource management among smallholder farmers and fishers, while strengthening local food systems and value chains.
• Access to low-impact energy and co-benefits: Supporting community-scale solar energy projects for schools, health centres, and community facilities in interior and coastal regions.
• Local to global coalitions for chemicals and waste management: Working with mining communities to reduce mercury pollution, promote sustainable waste management practices, and support integrated pest management in agriculture.
• Sustainable urban solutions: Supporting urban and peri-urban agriculture, green infrastructure, and food loss reduction in Georgetown and other urban centres.