$50M WWF deal to see eco-friendly mining
Stabroek News
May 15, 2004
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF)Guianas yesterday signed a $50M one-year grant agreement with the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) for technical assistance in sustainable small and mediumscale mining.
This assistance is being provided under WWF's `Guianas Sustainable Forest Resources Management Pro-ject', a regional initiative funded by the French Global Environmental Fund (FFEM), the Dutch Environmental Fund (DGIS) and the WWF.
The technical and financial assistance is geared towards promoting the improved management of resources in the small to medium-scale mining sector in order to reduce the pressure exerted on priority ecosystems.
Following the signing of the agreement and handing over of the cheques in the GGMC boardroom yesterday, Commissioner of Mines Robeson Benn said the money would be used for pollution abatement and the prevention of land degradation among other environmental concerns. He said some of the funding would allow for studies and techniques to be developed in the interest of safer small and medium-scale mining.
He said the GGMC is pleased to be involved in the collaboration and added that small and medium-scale mining is very important since it is a source of livelihood for many in the mining communities.
He said mining has many impacts and risks for the environment and "we have to manage those risks."
WWF Guianas Pro-gramme Coordinator for Guyana Dr Patrick Williams said the WWF is always eager to build partnerships and said he looks forward for support from the relevant sector agencies.
Giving a background to the project, Karen Livan, manager of the GGMC's Environmental Division, said the collaboration had been in discussion for some time. She said it came out of the framework of the WWF, and coincides with some of what the GGMC is doing.
She said the project would make provision for miners to be taught and for the improvement of the relationship between miners and the communities in which they work. Livan said the project will help to monitor the impacts on small and medium-scale mining on the environment and from the studies, further parameters will be developed for monitoring.
Some of the activities of the project focus on improving gold-mining practices and mercury-recovery techniques. It is also aimed at promoting better resource use, improved management of environmental issues and the effective implementation of related guidelines and regulations through capacity building within the GGMC.
In a press release, WWF Guyana said small and medium-scale gold mining in Guyana make a significant contribution to the national economy, producing approximately 20% to 25% of the declared gold.
It said this kind of mining requires little skill and modest investment but leads to job creation, road and trail improvement, the opening of airstrips and the introduction and expansion of new business opportunities.
The WWF release said some of the problems associated with small and mediumscale mining are the turbidity and sedimentation in rivers and streams, damage to the watershed and health-related concerns such as malaria and enteric diseases.
According to the WWF, the current initiative builds on the support that WWF has already provided to the GGMC over the past two years.
Funding from the WWF has brought about collaboration between the GGMC and its counterparts in Suriname through exchange visits of senior personnel, the presentation of technical papers at a GGM-organised workshop and a review of the mining legislation of both countries.
WWF also facilitated the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Guyana and Suriname entities, setting out the framework for future cooperation between them.