Guyana’s deforestation rate low despite mining boom

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Robert Persaud

For 2012, Guyana has recorded historical levels of gold production by small and medium-scale producers, surpassing 416,000 ounces, resulting from increased interest in the gold mining sector as the high international price for gold remains relatively stable.
According to Natural Resources and Environment Minister Robert Persaud, with this level of gold production, Guyana has continued to maintain a low deforestation rate through the efforts of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) in collaboration with the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), in monitoring forest and promoting better mining practices by miners, including reworking of previously ‘mined-out’ areas.
Minister Persaud, in a release, pointed out that mining at all levels, whether for bauxite, sand, loam, stone, gold or diamond, necessitates the disturbance of the flora (including the forest) and fauna in the mining area and efforts must be made to minimise environmental degradation and impacts, and maximise occupational health and safety standards.
Recognising this fact, the minister stated the GGMC, as the regulatory agency of the mining industry, enforces the Mining Act and Regulations and encourages mine operators to practise reclamation of mine sites, which usually includes re-vegetation. Reclamation of mined-out sites will definitely contribute to the overall sustainability of the mining sector.
Further, GGMC have employed an expert on mine site reclamation to coordinate all the research activities and assess the projects that were done in the past. The development of a special manual for mine site rehabilitation will be developed in 2013, and visits to sites will be initiated.

Large-scale mining in 2013
Guyana’s current annual rate of deforestation is 0.0545 per cent of forested area, which is acceptable in comparison with the other years when the production was lower, he explained.
Minister Persaud observed that the gold production target was achieved solely from the contribution of small and medium scale miners. He noted that gold production this year approached the record gold production of 456,000 ounces in 2001, when the large-scale Omai gold mine was at the height of its production (354,000 ounces).
For the second consecutive year, the gold produced by small and medium-scale operators exceeded the highest annual production of 354,000 ounces by Omai Gold Mines Limited.
The minister envisioned that the sector will continue to see an upward trend as several large companies are in advanced exploration activities to define economically feasible gold deposits with the intention to develop mines during 2013/2014.
The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission will continue to work closely with the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association and other relevant stakeholders to increase gold production by promoting improved technology while eliminating the use of mercury in gold recovery.