Presently, draft National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans are carried out at a general level without detailed information about particular ecosystems within the countries for which they were developed. The proposed priority setting process will gather much more detailed information than is presently available, and will provide decision makers with access to accurate, up-to-date scientific information on the region's biotic resources, and identify priority areas at national and regional levels. It will strengthen national level capacities and provide a framework for cross-national collaboration and regional integration. Further, by providing a forum to discuss socioeconomic pressures and compatible economic alternatives (non-timber forest products, ecotourism and carbon sequestration among others), solutions can be analyzed with greater information and detail.
Such solutions can be used to promote planning at local, national and regional levels. The Conservation Priority-Setting Process will facilitate the integration of scientific data into the formulation of viable, informed actions and strategies which promote effective conservation in the Guayana Shield, a globally significant region for biodiversity and undoubtedly, one of very few pristine forested areas remaining on Earth. The products of this exercise will communicate the high conservation value of the Guayana Shield and provide governments, donors, academics, NGOs, and concerned individuals with materials critical to advancing conservation action.