Tech-aided increase in mineral recovery could

-Earth Month forum hears

mining remains an important pillar of Guyana’s economy, it also continues to be responsible for the majority of deforestation and river contamination in the country, according to industry stakeholders, who say the use of technology is key to reversing the environmental damage.

In observance of Earth Month, the United States Embassy in Guyana hosted a series of virtual programmes to discuss environmental issues in Guyana, including one focused on sustainable mining that saw inputs from President of the Guyana Women Miners Organisation (GWMO) Urica Primus, Senior Environmental Officer with the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) Darcy Walrond and Senior Technical Director at Conservation International (CI) Guyana Curtis Bernard.

During the discussion, it was highlighted that much of the forest loss within Guyana is caused by artisanal and smallscale miners, who respond quickly to increases in international gold prices. They often leave extensive soil erosion and rivers and streams contaminated with mercury, which are among the major issues in Guyana’s mining industry,

According to Bernard, deforestation is one of the major environmental impacts in Guyana and this is caused by small and medium-scale miners, particularly in gold mining, who clear the land to access the minerals in the ground. In many cases, mercury is used to separate the gold that is mixed in soil and sediments, forming an amalgam. The mercury is then burned over an open flame to retrieve the gold and improper handling of the chemical has contributed to health issues in miners and nearby communities.

With these challenges in mind, Bernard revealed CI has launched a project called the Responsible Mining Initiative in collaboration with several government agencies and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and also the National Toshaos Council. He noted that the organisation’s decision to focus on mining issues is largely due to the industry’s economic importance to Guyana and the adverse impacts irresponsible mining practices have had on the environment

Practicable solution

He stated that the primary goal of the project is to find a practicable solution to limit deforestation and the use of mercury to recover gold. He revealed that from 2009 to 2012, when there was a sharp increase in gold prices internationally, CI observed that the deforestation also increased and so part of the project is to address such inefficiencies. “We recognise that mining is important and mercury and deforestation are the major impacts,” he said.

Adding to this, Primus revealed that whenever there is an increase in gold prices there is also an increase in the number of miners, some of whom may not be fully

Urica Primus

educated on mining practices and regulations, which contributes to the environmental and health challenges that come hand-inhand with the mining industry. She noted that sustainable mining in its entirety remains a major challenge, especially given the limited use of technology in the mining sector but noted that collaborations with NGO’s and government agencies have proAlthough