The Guyana Lumber and Timber Company (GLTCI) Inc has submitted its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a forestry operation in the Cuyuni.
The 40,000 hectare operation will be located at Kartabu Triangle on the right bank of the Cuyuni River. However, the concession will be fully approved only after the EPA grants an Environmental Permit for the operations. The Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) will also have to carry out due diligence on the investor, an area that it has been found wanting in the past. The summary said that subject to consultations with the GFC, GLTCI contemplates an annual production of 180,000 cubic metres of timber covering about 30 species. The company projects an annual turnover of US$2M and major increases in spin-off businesses contributing indirectly to the volume of businesses within the Kartabu Triangle.
According to the project summary, GLTCI aims to harvest about 30 species and haul 240 cubic metres of timber daily from the concession area to Iteballi.
US$1.5M investment
The company said that to achieve this, it will invest US$1.5M over the next five years and recruit 75 Guyanese over the next three years.
The project summary of the EIA said that GLTCI is already involved in the forestry sector through its subsidiary Willems Timber and Trading Company Limited, holder of Timber Sales Agreement (TSA) 1/91.
The company said that it will build its capacity through regular training of field staff and ensure the implementation of appropriate occupational safety and health procedures and practices.
The summary said that the company has produced an environmental policy, a human resource policy and an occupational health and safety policy. “The company is committed and amenable to forest management certification from a recognised agency and will ensure that every phase of its operation meet national requirements, and where practical and feasible, international requirements as well,” the summary said.
The company said that although the operations in the new TSA will be separate and distinct from that which obtains in TSA 1/91, where GLTCI subsidiary Willems Timber operates, the new operations will piggy-back on the existing operations at TSA 1/91 through its road network, in sharing some machinery assets and in sharing expertise. The company’s first activity will be to extend the road link of TSA 1/91 to the eastern boundary of the new concession. It said that this access route will facilitate the transfer of production inputs from the new concession.
According to the summary, on receipt of the environmental permit, the company will finalise its forest management plan for approval by the GFC. “GLTCI anticipates that on the approval of the forest management plan, a Timber Sales Agreement will be issued to the company,” the summary said.
Risks
The EIA said that the proposed project will have negative direct and indirect impacts to the socio-economic environment. “The negative impacts will include increased sediment likely resulting from logging and road building operations. This is likely to increase the sediment load in the Cuyuni and Puruni Rivers and reduce the level of aquatic life in these rivers,” the EIA said.
It said too that the construction of skidder trails, unless properly managed, can place significant pressure on the biodiversity in the area.
Another area of concern is the reduction in water quality and increased turbulence due to river traffic. The EIA said that since some of the residents in the community depend on this water for domestic purposes, this can lead to contamination and the increased presence of water borne illnesses.
The construction and the regular maintenance of logging roads create direct environmental impacts through the need for grubbing, cut and fills, side ditches, super elevation and bridge and culvert construction.
These activities lead to the scarification of the soil surface, exposure to sub soils, erosion, degradation of soil structure and compaction.
The repeated passage of heavy machines over bare ground results in compacted soils which, beyond reducing soil permeability, also makes it much more difficult for natural vegetation to take place. The EIA stated too that the project has potential for impacting negatively on air quality and noise.
The company had in July submitted its application for environmental authorisation to the EPA which then invited the public to make written submissions setting out those questions and matters stakeholders require to be Answered or considered in the EIA.
