Nature

More than 80% of Guyana is still covered by forests, ranging from dry evergreen and seasonal forests to montane and lowland evergreen rain forests. These forests are home to more than 1,000 species of trees. Guyana's tropical climate, unique geology and relatively pristine ecosystems support extensive areas of species-rich rain forests and natural habitats with high levels of endemism. Approximately 8,000 species of plants occur in Guyana, half of which are found nowhere else.

Numbers of fauna species are correspondingly high. Guyana, with 1,168 vertebrate species, boasts one of the richest mammalian fauna assemblages of any comparably sized area in the world.

The rich natural history of British Guiana was described by early explorers Sir Walter Raleigh and Charles Waterton and later by naturalists Sir David Attenborough and Gerald Durrell.